First bad habit
by ElectrifyingChemistry
Summary: Gabriella Montez is the usual goody-two-shoed student you know. No escapades, no major faults, no bad habits. None that you would know of, anyways. But what happens every time she's at Troy Badboy Bolton's mercy? Could he be her bad habit?
1. First bad habit

**Heya all! I know it's been a while ****(haha, well, I guess that's the understatement of the century :) since I posted my last chapter of ‚Enemies or lovebirds' and you can believe me when I say I intended on posting this way earlier. It's just that it wasn't written down and I had like no time to do anything. First I was in Norway (which was great by the way, I just don't know if anyone's interested in that :) and then I was away for four additional days, then school started again and I've just been way behind on everything else I wanted to do, so you see… I've been pretty busy. **

**But now I am here again and nothing's gonna stop me this time from writing this down. And I hope you all like it, so I didn't do it for nothing. The thought to it came as I first listened to the song 'First bad habit' by Vanessa Hudgens and so I thought I would make it a songfic. It's different than the stories I wrote before (somehow it's darker) and I hope I did alright. I also don't know if the lyrics are correct, so don't sue me for any mistakes. It would be great if you reviewed! :D**

**And I need to say one last thing: This story includes a description of a straight A-student. Nothing of it is meant to do any harm. I'm not one to despite everyone who's good at school (you know, I do have the cheek and say that I kinda belong to them) and I would never dream of it to think they don't understand that you need to have fun once in a while. This description is only used on Gabriella's situation and is nothing you can generalize.**

**And please be aware that each part of the song functions as a separation. Whenever there's a part of the song in-between, some time has passed between the particular blocks of writing. **

**This chapter is dedicated to my best friends here on Fan Fiction: Anna, Nicole, Sophia and Zoe. You know who you are :D**

**Disclaimer: I own neither the characters in this one-shot nor the song. It belongs to either Disney or Vanessa Hudgens. The only thing I own is the plot.**

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**Summary:**

Gabriella Montez is the usual goody-two-shoed student you know. No escapades, no major faults, no bad habits. None that you would know of, anyways. But what happens every time she's at Troy Bolton's mercy? Troy Bolton, bad boy, player and unchallenged king of East High? Could he be her bad habit?

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**One-shot: First bad habit**

This was wrong. This was wrong in so many ways that they were uncountable. Did you ever feel as if you were doing something absolutely irrational? Did you ever feel as if you didn't know why you were doing it? And did you ever feel happy and upset at the same time about it? If you didn't, you should be happy about it. Because Gabriella Montez sure did and she wasn't pleased with it.

She didn't even know how it had all started. Looking back, the only thing she could remember was that one party. From that evening her whole life had been turned upside down and inside out. And she didn't know how to get everything back to old facts. What made it even more difficult was certainly that she didn't even truly know if she wanted things to go back to how they had been.

Two months ago Gabriella Montez had been nothing more than the goody-two-shoed student you knew. No escapades, no major faults, no bad habits. Being a straight A-student definitely had its benefits. You had nothing to worry about; the teachers took a natural liking to you; you blended in perfectly well with your background.

But there was no denying that there were some drawbacks as well. The friends you had were mostly just as clever as you and didn't understand a thing about letting loose for a while; for most of the time you were buried under piles of homework, essays and projects you had volunteered to do; and the worst one: the guys interested in you weren't more intelligent than a mole and the best looking ones didn't even know you existed.

Seeing as Gabriella never had seen herself as a girl having a boyfriend to this time in High School, she couldn't have cared less about the boy-trouble. It was just too bad that she hadn't exactly fit in the schema of a typical straight A-student from the very beginning. The main points were accurate for her, yes. But there were two things that had never fit her life style and never would. She did have friends who also were into other things than school and working for it.

She had two, to be exact. It was true, Taylor McKessie was just as much into her marks and studying as Gabriella, but she was always one to have fun with. And her other friend, Sharpay Evans, well, there was nothing that would fit her less than the description of a nerd. Blonde, loud and sparkling, she had throughout shown more interest in drama than any other school subject.

And Gabriella liked to blame those two for the situation she found herself currently in. If they hadn't stringed her along to that one faithful party, then her life would never have changed. Well, of course it would have at some point, but not this fast and certainly not this drastically. This particular change was the second thing not fitting her life style. There was one good- looking boy interested in her. And it wasn't just anybody. No, it was Troy Bolton.

Troy Bolton, crowned with success every time it came to girls, bad boy, player and unchallenged king of East High and officially the best looking student a school had ever laid its eyes on. Gabriella cringed at the thought of him. How the hell had she gotten into his eyeshot? What the hell had she gotten herself into? All she knew was that it had started at this party.

Had she known what would happen, she would have never accepted her friends' invitation to come along. She would have never turned up, no matter what Sharpay would have threatened her with. But she hadn't known. And so nothing had prevented what was to come.

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_Overly loud-played music was blasting from the big stereo__ boxes, safely hidden in a darker corner of the room. The furniture had been put out of the way, so that there was a dance floor available for the mass of people giving into the sweet temptation of the beat coursing through them. Pushing through the crowd, Gabriella and her best friends made their way into the living room, looking around for any familiar faces. Gabriella and Taylor were considered very studious people, yes, but their steady party attending and their friendship with Sharpay had entailed consequences._

_They were known by more than only a handful people and it wasn't rare that they would end up with different people at every party, plainly having a good time, prejudices and social walls forgotten for the moment. And normally they were thankful for that. But right now Gabriella didn't really know what to think of Sharpay's antics to mingle with people far off her own and Taylor's social status. _

"_What?!", she protested, helplessly following Sharpay to the other side of the room. "No way! You know that's totally out of the question!" Throwing a desperate look to Taylor, she tried to make the blonde see sense. "It may be that you hang out with him regularly, but that doesn't mean that he'd want to be seen with me and Taylor!" Her brunette friend nodded in agreement. The person in question was Troy Bolton. As soon as they had arrived, Sharpay had announced to them that they were going to try and find Troy and his friends. Taylor and Gabriella had nearly choked on the air they were breathing._

"_What the hell? You can't be serious about that, can you?" Both hadn't wanted to believe it. Sharpay really had gone crazy. But the blonde had only cut them off and shaken her head. "Don't chicken out now! He's been asking who you two are since he saw you at Baylor's party last month. I told him and he seemed to be interested. At least in our Gabriella here!" Her gaze had found its way to Gabriella's face and she had chuckled at the expression it showed. "Aw, come on, Gabs! You need to loosen up a bit and have fun every now and then! And there's nothing wrong with making out just for fun, you know?" She had giggled unashamedly._

_Gabriella's mouth had fallen open as she heard her friend's declaration. And it hadn't helped that Taylor had seemed to be of the same opinion as her. "Sharpay Evans! Taylor McKessie! I cannot believe you! Are you telling me I should go and make out with Troy Bolton, the golden boy of East High, just because he's a little bit interested? You know him! One moment he's infatuated with something, and the next he's already forgotten what he's been thinking about!" Her cheeks had grown red with embarrassment. "And I'm so not going to line up next to all the other girls he's been with. How many were there again? One hundred? Two hundred? Even more? Please, guys! That boy is worse than any other I've ever met!"_

_Taylor and Sharpay had giggled. "So what? A little make-out session isn't one of the seven sins! Especially not if it is with one of the hottest boys on this planet! And nobody said that he's got something like that in mind. Maybe he just wants to… talk?", Sharpay had seemed to find great amusement in the fact that Gabriella was refusing to even meet Troy unwaveringly. Gabriella had snorted. "Please! The day that boy wants to meet a girl to talk to her is the day I will join the drama club!" Taylor had laughed. She knew only too well that Gabriella was insurmountable stage frightened. There was no way she would ever do a drama production. _

_Sharpay had frowned. "I've told you ages ago you should join. I don't get why you keep refusing so blatantly." Then her mood had brightened again. "But let's not bother with that right now. Let's go find Troy and his friends!" Gabriella had nearly choked again. Had Sharpay listened to anything she had just said? Obviously she had not, because the blonde had just turned around and hurried inside. So now, here they were, Gabriella still trying to talk Sharpay out of her mission. And this time she was being backed up by Taylor. Seemingly her dark-skinned friend had finally come to her senses and realized that meeting pupils from the highest step of the social ladder wasn't the best idea Sharpay had ever had._

_But, as usual, Sharpay didn't listen in the slightest. And now it seemed that she had finally found the ones she had been looking for. Impatiently tugging on Gabriella's and Taylor's sleeves, she started to make her way across the room. Gabriella threw Taylor one last exasperated look and then followed the blonde with a sigh. Nervously trying to make her skirt seem at least a little bit longer than it actually was – the mini skirt had been another crazy idea of Sharpay's -, Gabriella jerked the garment down slightly, only too discover that the action exposed a good bit of her stomach. She growled lowly under her breath. Sharpay truly was wicked for making her wear this outfit._

_And then there was no time to think any more. Skidding to an abrupt halt, Sharpay stopped next to a group of boys and girls that seemed to form their own circle. It didn't exactly look as if other people were allowed into their midst. That impression, though, changed the moment the apparent entertainer, a boy with bushy brown hair, of the group noticed the arrival of the three girls. "Sharpay!", he greeted her and the heads of the others flew in the direction he was looking. Gabriella noticed the hostile glare of Melissa Rancher, head of the cheerleader squad. Obviously she had noticed that Gabriella and Taylor didn't belong to the people she normally socialized with. _

_The others seemed to notice, too, but one didn't seem to mind. Gabriella could read it in his eyes; they were directed towards her – and only her – and they seemed to lock with hers the moment she dared to look up at him. __They were crystal blue, just like the sea and for a moment she didn't remember she could swim. She drowned in them. She couldn't detect any resentment or haughtiness; just pure interest and … some kind of longing. She shivered involuntarily and her movement caused him to break his gaze. He turned to Sharpay: "Lovely to see you with us. Doesn't happen often now, does it?" _

_Gabriella couldn't decide if she liked the tone he used. He sounded like he didn't really care; as if he normally just put up with her because some of his friend had taken to like her. But it could be that it was her imagination playing tricks on her mind. After all, Sharpay hung out with them a great deal – which was why Gabriella didn't understand his comment on her meeting up with them being a rare thing; maybe he just didn't notice her most of the time – and he had noticed with whom she hang around if she wasn't with them._

_But she didn't get the time to ponder over the question much longer. Troy had turned back to her. "Gabriella, right?" The addressed brunette cursed herself. Why did she have to have a blackout exactly then when being spoken to? Not being able to do anything about it, she nodded. __His mouth that had been pressed into a thin line – it didn't seem like he had enjoyed the party until now – curled up into a grin. Another shiver ran down Gabriella's spine. "Dance with me." It wasn't a question, it was a command. But Gabriella didn't even think about disobeying. Something about his eyes and his whole demeanour captivated her. And it wasn't willing to let go._

_Too stunned to actually__ say anything she watched him walk towards her and drag her away from her and his friends. On their way to the dance floor he leaned down to her and whispered into his ear: "Are you ever going to say something? Or did the cat get your tongue?" His hot breath against her neck made her tremble again. He laughed quietly and his shaking next to her set Gabriella's body on fire. Great, he really was hard to resist. The rumours about his skills in persuading girls to fall at his feet were true. And it seemed like Gabriella was the next victim that would fall for his charm. _

_And she__ prepared the way for him all too willingly. Reacting to his touch like someone who had been given the lifesaving elixir from some destroying illness, she only too happily obliged him and his advances of kissing her as soon they had reached an empty space on the dance floor. Damn it, why did he have this influence on her? Until now she had never felt the need to be that near to someone. And now here she was, begging silently for his mouth on hers and responding to him as soon as he granted her wish._

_Her mind was blank; she simply stopped thinking about what she was doing. Until she felt his hands reaching for his waist and prying his lips from hers long enough to ask: "You wanna get out of here?" Her body froze. Did she? Did she want to search for a secluded place to finish what they had started here? She didn't know. Like a scalded cat her mind began to think again. "I don't even know you!", she demurred. "Well, you do know that I'm Troy Bolton, so called golden boy of East High, don't you?" Gabriella nodded her head, not knowing what this would lead to. "Trust me; there isn't much to know about me beside that."_

_That was unexpected. Was he admitting himself that he was shallow? Gabriella couldn't quite wrap her mind around that. "Well, there's this little thing that you use girls for your fun and discard them as soon as you get bored of them.", she argued back, somewhat not knowing why she even bothered to debate with him. The right thing to do would be to bolt this very minute, before she could be swayed to do something really stupid. The bad thing was that she didn't care about the right thing. Troy smirked a little and bent back down to kiss her, leaving her breathless. "And you care about that?", he taunted. Gabriella swallowed. Hard. It was difficult to think as long he was this near to her. Finally she shook her head. So what? She wasn't looking for a relationship. She had enough to do with school and everything. And Sharpay and Taylor were right. A make-out session wasn't one of the seven sins. _

_She looked up to see Troy grinning down at her. "Then what are we waiting for?" With one last look over her shoulder, she shrugged and followed Troy outside. The cold night air hit her skin at several places, for her outfit didn't cover very much of her arms and legs. Shivering, she found herself back in Troy's warm arms as soon as they had rounded the corner together. Pushed up against the wall, the consideration of getting a cold fled her mind once she felt Troy's mouth against her own. Warming up to him once again, she pressed herself into him, bringing him to moan slightly. _

_Smiling, he released her lips shortly. "And maybe you're much more interesting than the other girls I met until now? Who knows? I just might decide to keep you around a little longer." He grinned again at that thought and his eyes lit up. Gabriella's breath nearly came to a stop. Reminding herself that she needed the air, she inhaled briefly, before she took the initiative. She really didn't want to think about what his statement meant for her. But she couldn't stop one thought striking her. So what if she wasn't looking for something on the long term? What if he was looking for somebody who would keep him entertained longer than only a short period of time? How the hell was she going to get out of this?_

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**Turn it off, turn it on**

**Like the vibrate on your phone**

It turned out to be impossible to get out of it. As soon as Gabriella's mind had started working appropriately the next morning, she instantly had settled for a panic-mood. She hadn't done that, had she? Surely there would be a simple explanation as to why she had the scandalous memory of making out with Troy Bolton in her mind. She had only acquired the truth of the image very slowly. As soon as she had done it, she had screamed. And she had woken up Taylor and Sharpay who had been sleeping in the same room as her. Gradually, the full memory of the evening before had come back.

And it hadn't exactly helped. The only good that it had done was that they had been able to get to school just in time, because all three of them had failed to hear the alarm clock buzzing. On the car ride, Gabriella had been freaking out. "I can't possibly go in there! The whole school will know what I've done! What have I been thinking?" She had reconsidered that thought for a minute. Then she had seemed to have had an inspiration. "What the hell have you two been thinking?!", she had accused her best friends. "How could you have let me do that? My whole life's going to be miserable! I'll always be known as the hideous nerd that thought she could have a shot with Troy Freaking Bolton!"

Taylor and Sharpay had had enough. "Oh god, Gabriella, stop it! No one will think anything about you! Most of them were too drunk to even notice and the others will simply think you've been charmed by him just as every other girl at this school!", Sharpay had told her, trying to speak as quietly as she could, for she was still nursing her headache she had received from drinking one beer too much. That hadn't had any effect on Gabriella at all. "That's exactly my point! Just as every other girl at this school! What the hell have I been thinking?" Taylor had huffed annoyed. "You're repeating yourself, girl! And I can tell you what you were thinking! You were letting loose for once in a while, that's what's up! And I wouldn't freak if I were you! He probably doesn't even remember you anymore!"

That was something that Gabriella had known. What she hadn't known was that she had a problem with that. She hadn't realized it until Taylor had told her, but something had been bugging her about that fact. And then she remembered why. Troy Bolton was the best kisser that had ever touched her. The fact that he was looking extremely handsome wasn't making things better and also not the fact that he had promised her something. She hadn't remembered it right away, but as she had thought about it she could recollect that he had told her something as they had separated paths after what had seemed like hours. "I think this isn't the last time we'll see each other, Gabriella.", he had said. And it had made her shiver … with anticipation.

But in the morning it had only freaked her out more. She had been relieved all the more when she had entered the school building shortly after her conversation with Taylor and Sharpay and had found that actually no one was paying attention to her. Not the cheerleader, not the nerds, not the skaters, not the basketball players, not even Troy himself. And Gabriella hadn't known why, but it had stung her. She had made it through the rest of the day by spending as much time occupying herself with studying as possible and trying not to think about Troy too much. And it had pleased her beyond belief that she had in fact managed to get her entire homework done before she wasted another thought on him.

She had been all the more surprised when she had been sitting in the school's library in the afternoon, trying to get some information for a school project she had been working on and found herself in the situation of having Troy walking towards her. There had been no mistaken that he had been there for her. No one else was there that late. He had waited patiently until she had raised her head to meet his gaze, before he had pulled her up from her seat and backed her up against a bookshelf. "Do you know that I've been searching everywhere for you?" His question had made her heart flutter. She had shaken her head in denial and finally plugged up the courage to say something. "There's no reason for you to search for me!" Her voice had taken an edge of something she hadn't quite been able to figure out herself.

Once again she had found Troy grinning down at her. "You think so? I've already told you we would see each other again!" Not wanting to waste their time on talking anymore, he had captured her lips in a heated kiss and she had surrendered. There had been no point in denying that she had yearned for this kiss the whole day and now she had finally gotten it. To complain would have been kind of lying, she had figured. As they had parted again, she had looked up at the big clock hanging in the library. A quarter of an hour had passed. Without so much as throwing another look at her, Troy had left the library, leaving Gabriella behind, standing there dumbfounded. A week would pass until he would speak to her again.

**Call me up, wanna talk**

**Then you freeze me**

It had been a month and a half since the incident in the library had happened. But it hadn't been the only one. Troy would come to her whenever he pleased and it wouldn't be on a regular basis. Days could pass by, sometimes even a week, on some days it wasn't even two hours. And as much as Gabriella Montez had fought against it, she hadn't been able to avoid the inevitable. She had fallen for him. She hadn't told him; of course not. But she suspected that he knew, for every time he walked out on her he would wear a smug grin on his face, the very same he wore when he and his team had won a basketball game. And in a way he had won a game. He had played, he had made an effort and he had scored. And Gabriella didn't know what she should think about it.

He had her wrapped around his little finger and he knew it. At one time she had been studying. Studying for a math test that was only a week away. And it wasn't like Gabriella to start revising the material only days before she had to take a test. But she had been distracted; distracted by somebody who could get her attention with just the snip of one of his fingers. And it seemed like he wasn't going to leave her in piece. As her cell phone had started ringing, Gabriella hadn't even thought twice about picking up. But as she had heard the voice at the other end of the line, she had nearly let go of her phone. In the nick of time she had regained her grip on it and had asked incredulously: "How the hell have you gotten my phone number?"

The answering laugh had let her heart swell. "I have my sources!", he had told her. Then his laughter had died abruptly. "What are you doing?" Gabriella had frozen with shock. He had had never – never ever – before expressed any interest in what she was doing when she wasn't with him. And she had really doubted that he had actually wanted to know. "Why?", she had challenged him, letting her heart being taken over with hope. Maybe he had finally come around to be willing to drop his playboy antics? But as soon as the hope had invaded her heart, her mind had crushed it. _Don't be silly. It's just you. Why would he give up anything just to meet your childish hopes?_

She had been devastated that Troy had proven her mind right. Instead of answering her question, he had suddenly let go of all polite manners and told her to come down. Shaken with surprise by the sudden change of demeanour, she had looked out of the window to see him sitting in his car. He had looked up and seen her at the window, breaking the connection of their cell phones. There had been no need to talk to her anymore. She would come down and he had known it.

**It's the same when you're gone**

**Keep me guessing what you want**

**But my heart says it's you who can please me**

Their trip hadn't taken long. He had brought her to a secluded place outside of Albuquerque and they had done what they always did when they met up. There was no talking involved and sometimes Gabriella wished that she would have the strength to stop what was going on. But she didn't. And she couldn't count on him to stop it; she didn't even know what he wanted. And she never asked, for all thoughts were blown out of the window whenever he started to touch her in any way.

That left her to think about it every time she wasn't with him. She had been having a lack of sleep for several nights before, always trying to figure out what he really wanted from her. Was she just something to keep him occupied? She wouldn't put it past him, but he did have other possibilities than coming to her. And it wasn't exactly as if she was on the same stage of the social ladder as him. So what did he want her for? Her looks? Certainly not; she had never seen herself as pretty. So there really was no reason for him to want her. _And there's no reason for you to want him! _Her mind kept reminding her of that. But she had always brushed that thought aside. She knew that. But that didn't mean her heart did, too.

**I get pushed to extremes **

**and I should know what it means**

**But I can't bear the game to be over**

It had been two days after the math test that she had realized another reason for her to break off whatever she had with Troy. He held her back from the things that had been the most important things in her old life. Since they had started their liaison – Gabriella didn't know what to call it -, she had seen less and less of her friends. It wasn't unusual that she spent the afternoon with Troy and on those she didn't meet up with him, she had to catch up on the school things she hadn't been able to do. And not even that was functioning properly, what was proven by her math test.

She had sat there in shock, starring at the test she had been given back five minutes ago. It had been a C. She hadn't known how that could have happened. She was good at Maths. Or rather, had been good at it. It seemed as if she had been too occupied with other things to revise accurately. Heaving a heavy sigh, she had starred at the blackboard. She had caught the look of her teacher who had shaken his head at her. "Miss Montez, I would like to talk to you after class. Please stay inside after the bell has rung." She had heaved another sigh. It seemed like that was something that she did constantly during the last days.

And so she had dragged herself towards the teacher's desk, as soon as every other student had filled out, happily or devastated discussing the results of their class test. "Miss Montez, is something wrong? This is the lowest grade you've ever gotten from me – and as I dare say from any other teacher as well. And you seem to often be absent lately. Is it something you would like to discuss with me?" Gabriella had starred at him in utter surprise. Had her behaviour been that apparent? Obviously it had.

Quickly she had shaken her head. "Oh, it's nothing, I can assure you. It's just so hard to keep up with everything, you know?" Her teacher had bought the lie with an understanding nod. "Oh yes, I do understand. Just don't let your school work disarray your health, alright?" Gabriella had faked a smile and agreed rather quickly. "I won't, I promise." Her teacher had dismissed her with a noticeable feeling of relief, missing the look of dejection on his student's face.

On her way to lunch Gabriella had pondered over what she should do. Of course she knew that this meant she should stop the liaison with Troy, but somehow she couldn't quite bring herself to do it. He was the reason that she was so tired lately and there was no doubt that he wore her out, but otherwise he was the reason she kept going. She didn't know how exactly she had managed to get through her boring life before he had taken an interest in her. Troy spiced her life up; he was the something she had always known was missing, but had never quite discovered what it was. And now she wasn't ready to give it up. He wasn't her addiction, but something close to that. He was like her first bad habit.

**When your moves never change**

**Only got myself to blame **

'**Cos I fall for it over and over**

And now here she was, two months after that faithful party, once against pressed up against the wall of some house at another party. She really hadn't intended on coming, but he had left her no choice. He had once told her briefly that he didn't particular enjoy going to those king of parties and she had never questioned him about it. Their relationship – if you could call it that – just wasn't like that. They didn't talk; they didn't share their feelings or anything in general. What they shared was completely physical and nothing more. Taylor had commented on that on one occasion. She had compared their relationship to an abusive one. But Gabriella knew that it wasn't like that. He didn't hurt her – not intentionally, at least, and not physically – and he didn't force her to stay with him. She knew that she was free to walk away anytime.

But she couldn't. And every time she tried to he always seemed to find a way to capture her once more. He knew just as well as her that if she really wanted to stop it then she would be able to. But she didn't want to. Not enough. And that was the reason why she was in her current situation, anticipating Troy's every touch. He had requested for her to be here, as he would be bored stiff otherwise if she wasn't there to keep his mind of things. Keeping his thing of minds didn't really fit. It was more to make out with her. But this time Gabriella's mind wasn't really in it. It was still lingering on the consequences Troy had brought with him. Her school work was suffering from her spending time with him and her social life was coming near a still stand. She had often wondered how nobody ever discovered Troy spending his time with his latest fling – her -, but she supposed that he had his ways of keeping things secretive.

Troy finally noticed her hesitance. "What's wrong?" His voice wasn't as impatient as it had been so often before and Gabriella was glad about it. She didn't know if she could do this if she already knew he wouldn't be listening. "Troy, this has to stop. We have to stop. I can't keep up with classes anymore and I haven't seen my friends in ages. Hell, I spend all my time with you and I don't even know why. Why are you still with me? I'm a nerd, I'm standing on the lowest step of the social ladder and you, well, you're the king of East High. You could have every girl. So why me? Why me, Troy?" She had uttered each word separately, her breath still hitching from their previous making out.

She saw annoyance flashing through Troy's eyes. "What's brought this up again?" He emphasized the word 'again' as if he was fed up with her constant questioning. Gabriella shrugged helplessly. He snorted disbelievingly. "You know as well as I do that nothing's keeping you here. So if you're that worried about all that stuff, why don't you just go? Or wait, I've got an even better idea.", he added as an afterthought. "Why don't I just go? If you're questioning every step you and I take, there's really no point in keeping this up." Huffing with irritation, he turned around and strutted back to the party.

Gabriella watched his retreating back with growing devastation. Could she really go through with it? Could she really stand never kissing him again? Would she be able to stand to see him go back to changing his girls every week? And she would have to stand by silently, being completely helpless. No, she couldn't. In a matter of seconds her mind was made up and her body reacted. "Troy, wait up, please!" She flew after him, her voice bringing him to a halt. "You know I didn't mean it like that!"

In an instant Troy was turning back around to her, catching her in his strong arms. She looked up to him, only to be greeted with a smug grin. For a short moment she had to close her eyes. Of course. Of course it would be like that. What had she been thinking? Why did she always have to fall for all his moves? And it wasn't like he used a different one every time. No, she always fell for the same. And she couldn't even blame him. The only one to blame was her.

Damn it, why couldn't she look through him by now? He had never intended on leaving like that; he had known she would be begging him to stay with her. And she had fallen for it once again. She just hoped that there would be a day when she would have the guts to walk away from him, out of his life, to never see him again. But somehow she really doubted that.

**You're like my first bad habit**

**I can't live without it**

**I can't give you up, give you up**

**And even though you're trouble**

**I come back for double**

**I can't say enough is enough**

**I'm a part of you, you're a part of me**

**And I know it's wrong, but I can't get free**

**You're like my first bad habit**

**How am I gonna give you up?**

"Gabriella! Wait!" Taylor's voice reached Gabriella's ear as soon as her brunette friend turned the corner. Gabriella turned around and smiled at her best friend. "Taylor! Long time, no see!" She was rewarded with a disapproving frown. "That's hardly my fault!" Gabriella lowered her head. Taylor was right. It wasn't her fault that Gabriella never had time anymore. It was just that she couldn't seem to get her priorities right. She knew that her friends and her family should always come first, especially since it wasn't even her boyfriend taking up her time, but a mere hormone-driven boy.

"I know, I know!", she sighed and Taylor regarded her friend carefully. "You don't look too good, Gabriella. Do you even sleep at night?" Gabriella looked up at her like a criminal caught in the act. "Don't tell me that Troy's keeping you up!" Taylor sounded shocked, to say the least. Gabriella quickly shook her head. It wasn't so much Troy who was keeping her up, but the fact that she couldn't stop thinking about him and their situation. Taylor wasn't fooled that easily. "But it's got something to do with him, hasn't it?" She wasn't going to give up that quickly. Gabriella sensed it and nodded in defeat. "I just can't help it, Tay!"

Taylor knew that. She had watched Gabriella and Troy since she had observed them vanish from the party two months ago. And she wasn't happy with what she saw. "You need to stop this, Gaby. It's not going to get you anywhere. He's trouble. He'll break your heart in the end, you know that." Yes, Gabriella knew that. That didn't mean that she was going to listen to Taylor. "I know that, Tay. But I can't see myself breaking what I have with him. Well, I won't have him for long. But I have him for now. And I want to take what I get. I just can't give him up." Taylor shook her head, knowing that she was beaten. "Hey, just know that we're always here for you, okay?"

Gabriella managed a true smile. "I know, Tay. And I really appreciate that." She gave her friend a quick hug. "Gabriella!" Taylor tensed up immediately. "I better get going. See you!" With one last nod to the person standing behind her she disappeared. Gabriella turned around and was faced with a mildly amused looking Troy. "Did she tell you again that I'm nothing but trouble?" For a short moment Gabriella thought about denying it, but she knew there was no point. He'd figure out she was lying anyways. So she simply shrugged. And he grinned once again. Yes, he meant trouble. But she would always come back to him, no matter what his reputation was.

**You're the worst, you're the best**

**Something different from the rest**

**It's a fact seeing you's never easy**

"Oh my god! Have you seen the new boy? He's so cute!" The mumblings of excited girls could be heard all over the school. The boy in question was Aaron McCarty and there really was no denying that he did look cute. Gabriella encountered him the first time as she stood in front of her locker, trying to remember what she had wanted there first place. "Excuse me?" The voice was pleasant and Gabriella looked up to meet an amazing pair of green eyes. "Are you talking to me?", she asked, taken by surprise. The boy nodded and extended his hand. "Aaron McCarty." A smile spread over her face. "So, you're the boy they're all talking about!" Aaron had the decency to blush at her words. "Well, yeah I guess."

Gabriella giggled. He really was cute. "And what did you want?" He was starring at her and then blinking suddenly. "Hu? What did you ask? Sorry, I think I spaced out there for a moment.", he admitted sheepishly and Gabriella smiled. "No problem. Did you have a reason why you wanted to talk to me?" His eyes widened as if only now remembering that he had wanted something. "Oh yeah!" He hit his forehead with one of his hands. "I think I was going to ask you if that's my locker next to yours." Gabriella looked at the locker. "If your locker number is 2034, then I would say it is."

Aaron looked relieved. "Thank god! I've been searching for it since I started school this morning. This school is just so big." Gabriella laughed. She knew the feeling. He walked around her and dialled his combination. "I guess we'll see each other more often then.", he told her and she smiled back at him. "I do think so, yes." He grinned as if the prospect was making his school life a lot more bearable.

"Say, do you have a boyfriend?" His sudden question astounded her. "Why do you ask?" Aaron pointed to someone behind her. "Because there's this really frightening-looking boy starring at you and me in a way as if he wants to rip my head off any second." Gabriella spun around fast enough to see Troy glaring at her, before he vanished in the crowd. Her shoulders sacked down. For a moment she had forgotten him. But the quickest of looks at him and she was reminded why she was still with him. He wasn't able to have a real relationship, yes. In that point he definitely was worse than every other guy she knew. But on the other hand he had something no one else had. Her heart. And that made him the best she would ever meet.

She turned her thoughts back to Aaron. "Well, not exactly. But I'm not really available at the moment, if you know what I mean." A confused look crossed his face, but before she had time to explain it to him, she felt her cell phone vibrating in her pocket. Someone had sent her a text message and there was no doubt who that someone was. **See you in the library. **She sent an apologetic look to Aaron. "I suppose I'm off then." She grabbed her back and turned, heading towards her meeting point. "See you later!", she called over her shoulder and tried to shake the image of Aaron standing in the hallway like a lost puppet out of her mind. He would have discarded her anyways; as soon as he found out she was a nerd.

Two minutes later she entered the library, finding Troy in the most secluded corner of the room. In a matter of seconds he had jumped up from his seat and pressed her against a bookshelf. "Were you flirting with him?" Gabriella swallowed nervously. She knew that he wasn't really jealous; he just liked to have no competition about the girls he claimed. She shook her head. "Good!", he growled in her ear, having her shivering again due to the hot breath streaking her neck. Gabriella sighed before he captured her lips. Seeing him was never easy. Normally she didn't care, but right now she hated it.

**Love my style, hate my friends**

**No, the conflict never ends**

**How much worse can it get when you tease me?**

Their make-out session was over. For now, at least. Right now, they were both heading towards lunch, he hurrying along the corridors, she following a few metres behind. As they slipped into the cafeteria, no one would ever have guessed what they had been doing only a few minutes ago. Watching him walk towards his friends, Gabriella sighed upset, knowing that he would never eat lunch with her. There had been one time she had dared to ask if he would ever come and sit with her. She had never done it again.

The fierceness he hadn't been able to keep out of his voice as he had told her that he couldn't stand her friends – he didn't even like Sharpay, although she hung out with his group regularly – had been enough to shut her up. The only good her question had brought was that he had finally told her why he still was interested in her. He liked her style. Not only her sense of fashion – up to the day she had never really noticed what she was wearing, but obviously Troy liked how she dressed -, but also her demeanour of getting along with people had intrigued him. That, however, didn't mean that he could stand the most important part of her life, her friends.

As she sat down on her lunch table, she sighed again. There was one thing she would never do for Troy and that was giving up her friends. They had always been there for her, even when no one else was and she wasn't going to leave them now. They were the only part of her life that hadn't changed until now and for her they were more than friends. They were the ones that seemed to be her escape from everything, should Troy really break her heart one day. Yes, it certainly caused a conflict, but she wasn't going to give that up. It couldn't get any worse anyways. So what if he decided to tease her about them?

**And I know and I know and I know and I know**

**The way we go around**

**Can't put my first bad habit down**

**And I know and I know and I know and I know**

**The way we go around**

**I just can't give you up**

The fact that she even had to think about all of this - giving up her friends, choosing between staying with Troy and let things the way they were or give him up and try to bring the normality back into her life – told her that this whole affair wasn't right for her. That he wasn't right for her. But she knew that she couldn't put him down. His touch was intoxicating. His kisses were heavenly. To have him the way she had him was priceless. And she would never be able to say that enough was enough.

**You're like my first bad habit**

**I can't live without it**

**I can't give you up, give you up**

**And even though you're trouble**

**I come back for double**

**I can't say enough is enough**

**I'm a part of you, you're a part of me**

**And I know it's wrong, but I can't get free**

**You're like my first bad habit**

**How am I gonna give you up?**

Gabriella really didn't know what she should do anymore. She knew she wouldn't be able to give him up. Never. But she also knew that it was dangerous close to heartbreak to keep doing this. It wasn't like Troy didn't like her. He never said it out-loud, but he had different ways to express it and she had her ways to read his body language. Gabriella knew that they would never be together as a real couple in a decent relationship and that what she had was all that she could ask for at the moment. And she had long ago decided to take it. She wasn't going to go back on her decision now. She would take what she got. And she wasn't going to lose hope. While there was life, there was always hope. And maybe – just maybe – Troy Bolton wasn't that much of a lost case as everyone else saw him.

**A.N.: I know, I know, I know. Troy really seems like an arse in this story. I just wanted to try something different from what I usually write. ****But please take notice of the fact that I'm a big Troyella fan and that I hate them not being the couple they normally are. This was just something I had to write sooner or later… call it a kiss of muse or something like that :) **

**Alright, guys! This was it, my second one-shot. ****Loved it? Hated it? Tell me your opinion through reviewing. That's the cue where you go and press that cute little grey (or is it blue? I never figured it out :) button down there. :D I really hope you had as much fun reading it as I had while writing. I'm so glad that I finally get this out, because I really didn't know when to do it. I'm really sorry if I took way too long in your opinion. But school has started again (I know, I don't mean the summer holidays, I mean the fall holidays or autumn, whichever you may call it) and therefore it's really, really difficult to get anything besides school work done. I don't have as much time to write… which means even less than I had now, because we're starting on different class tests. But I'll do my very best to get a story up once a while and maybe I'll start a story-to-update in a few weeks, but we'll see.**

**Until then I would be more than happy to read the reviews you may hopefully write. Constructive critic is just as welcome as compliments or suggestions about how to improve my writing. I also hope that I have my beta-reader profile up by the time I post this, so if you need a beta reader don't hesitate to contact me and I'll do my very best to answer you as fast as possible.**

**And I just wanted to say sorry once again for taking down 'Enemies or lovebirds', but as you can read in my profile: It's for a very good purpose and the second I realize it's not going to work out like I want it to (and trust me, I really do want for it to work out) I'll put it up on here again. **

**And what I also want to say is: I'm so sorry for letting you guys wait so long until you get an answer to your PMs. But as I've already said currently I have absolutely no time to do anything and I'm really sorry for that. I promise that I'll do my very best to change that, but I can't promise that it'll be crowned with success. But thanks for your patience.**

**Until then,**

**oxlovelyxo**

**Lena**


	2. Caught up

**Heya, guys! Here I am again and guess what's with me? Alright, not much to guess there, huh? Right, it's a new chapter for 'First bad habit'! I know, I know, I know that I'm way too late, but you know me: always the lazy one ;) **

**No, really, I'm kidding. Our teachers have suddenly decided that school's so important it should basically take over our complete life and guess what? ****I've got some really big exams coming for me at the end of this school year. And they're gonna decide over if I'm allowed into grade eleven, so I guess it's pretty important. So I decided to write during the holidays and guess what? Fate doesn't like me. First I got the flu (so not fun!!!) and had to lie in bed for a week, then I was fit again for Christmas, but to that time I was too busy to write. And then... fate has again decided it doesn't like me and I got ill again. And we're not sure what it was, but I did get aminocyclitol antibiotic against pneumonia. So yeah, no chance in hell to write. And then school started again and you know how it is.**

**Ha, there. Now you've got no more reasons to kill me for making you wait… Although you didn't quite know I would actually write this chapter, did you? But well, I had a poll up the last – what has it been? Three months? – days between the last chapter and today anyways and all of you that actually voted have told me to make a five-shot out of this story with a happy ending. So I'm really trying to make that work. But don't be surprised when you've finished reading this chapter. You know what they say: It's gotta get worse, before it can start getting better. :D And me being me… well, you'll see, I suppose. So, onto the next ****instalment!**

**And by the way, this chapter is dedicated to the one and only, ever staying faithful, best pen mate in the world, Anna aka ****england-till-I-die. Luv ya!**

**Disclaimer: Ah yes, I'm ****never gonna be able to get rid of this thing, hu? But really, my mind's out of funny things to write here (if anyone has any suggestions, tell me in your review [which I would appreciate very much, by the way]), so I'm just gonna say that the disclaimer of the last chapter still stands and I've only got one small but to add: I also don't own "Caught up" by Drew Seeley. It belongs to whoever has got the rights for it. And I did change one or two words of it, so it's on purpose, not a tipping error.**

Summary:

Gabriella Montez is the usual goody-two-shoed student you know. No escapades, no major faults, no bad habits. None that you would know of, anyways. But what happens every time she's at Troy Bolton's mercy? Troy Bolton, bad boy, player and unchallenged king of East High? Could he be her bad habit?

_Recap of the last chapter:_

_Gabriella really didn't know what she should do anymore. She knew she wouldn't be able to give him up. Never. But she also knew that it was dangerous close to heartbreak to keep doing this. It wasn't like Troy didn't like her. He never said it out-loud, but he had different ways to express it and she had her ways to read his body language. Gabriella knew that they would never be together as a real couple in a decent relationship and that what she had was all that she could ask for at the moment. And she had long ago decided to take it. She wasn't going to go back on her decision now. She would take what she got. And she wasn't going to lose hope. While there was life, there was always hope. And maybe – just maybe – Troy Bolton wasn't that much of a lost case as everyone else saw him._

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Chapter two – Caught up

Troy Bolton was God's gift to earth. Or so the majority of the female population of East High thought anyways. Not that it mattered what anyone thought about him, but still: It made things a whole lot easier. He had never had to ask for anything, had never been in the situation of something not going quite as he had planned. He had never missed anything in his life, had lived his life at full speed. Girls were falling all over his feet, his friends supported him in every way possible, he had never done anything completely out of line, he had never been too distracted to fail to see his goals right in front of him. But those facts - commonly known by everyone that really mattered - didn't really apply to him anymore. Anything but. And he was less than thrilled about it.

He couldn't even exactly recall how it had all started. Another thing absolutely new to him. He couldn't remember ever being out of control like this. He couldn't bethink when the last time had come and gone he had ever been dizzy enough to not remember something. The only thing he could remember was that party. That one faithful evening where everything in his whole world had been turned upside down and inside out. Troy Bolton was in control. Always. Forever. It was like some un-written law of nature. Or, more precisely, had been. Because now there was nothing right anymore. His world had changed. His universe had changed. Although it hadn't been long since he had sworn to himself he wouldn't ever let anything take control over him ever again.

But now he was feeling as if he was falling out of blue skies and heading straight into the ground. And that although he had always thought nothing would ever take the world he knew so well off its hinges. But now someone definitely had done it. And it wasn't just anybody. It was a girl. A single girl had managed to get him out of control and he hated it. He hated it more than anything and he was more than sure that he wanted to change that again. He would change it again and if it was the last thing he was ever going to do.

Two months ago Troy Bolton had been everybody's dream. Well, actually he still was. The boys wanted to be him, the girls wanted to be with him. He had enjoyed the attention, had revelled in being the most popular boy at East High School. He had picked up girls as though he was collecting stamps and had thrown them away as soon as he was getting bored with them. His life had never been dull and he had had his friends with whom he could let loose once in a while - or every other weekend. It definitely had its advantages to be the golden boy of the school.

Sure, there were some drawbacks as well, but it wasn't as if he couldn't deal with them. He knew without his doubt that most of his teachers disliked him beyond belief and he supposed that it was their worst nightmare to have him in their class. He didn't even wonder why. The reasons were clear enough. The times he actually did his homework were rare and barely noteworthy, he never volunteered for any extra work and it was a miracle if he didn't back-talk to them while they were trying to make him see that he was going to ruin his whole future. Anyways, no one had ever dared to make an attempt of punishing him for his committed sins. After all, he was the captain of East High's basketball team. And being that he got away with lots of things.

So naturally, nothing had ever been difficult for him. Until now. Now everything had changed. Thanks to a girl. At first it had been no more than simple infatuation when he had first laid eyes on her on Bayler's party. He had been sure that he had seen her around already, but he hadn't been able to put a name to the beautiful face. And it had bothered him. But he had still continued to watch her. He had watched her dancing, drinking, talking and having fun. And he had become intrigued by her. She was a Latina, that much was obvious. The way her body moved, the way she held herself - unknowingly he supposed - and the way she treated the people around her, it had been enough to make him interested. And wondrously that interest hadn't worn off as soon as he had learned that she was, indeed, one of the straight A-students of East High.

If anything it had only intrigued him more that she was unlike all the other nerds he had ever known. He had always thought that they didn't understand a thing about letting loose, but Gabriella Montez obviously did. And he was going to find out what was up with her. And maybe... maybe he would even consider doing something else entirely with her. He would have to see.

That had been his thoughts. And then he had done what he always did. He had seduced her, had managed to get her addicted to him through only one evening of spending time with her. But something had not been going quite as planned. He himself had never wanted to become addicted to her, too. But it had happened. He didn't know why, he didn't exactly know when and he sure as hell didn't know why. It had to have something to do with the first night they had been together, but he couldn't quite remember what it was that had made him craving Gabriella Montez' touch. But even if he knew, he could have done nothing to prevent it from happening.

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_Overly loud-played music was blasting from the big stereo boxes, safely hidden in a darker corner of the room. The furniture had been put out of the way, so that there was a dance floor available for the mass of people giving into the sweet temptation of the beat coursing through them. Standing __amidst the smaller crowds in the room, Troy Bolton was listening to the entertainer of the group he was standing with, Chad Danforth. His best friend since kindergarten, through pre-school, junior high and now high school and the co-captain of the basketball team. But that didn't mean that he always had to be interested in what Chad had to say. Yeah, it was official. Troy Bolton was slowly dying from boredom. _

_He didn't even know why exactly he had agreed to come here. Oh right. He hadn't wanted to, but Chad had threatened him to take to drastic measures if he was going to sit this party out as well. Troy had already missed the last two, a fact that was worth worrying over in Chad's opinion. It wouldn't be good for his status on the social ladder of the school. Social ladder. Troy snorted briefly. That was what it was all about. He let his gaze flow over the boys and girls standing around him. Half of them he didn't even know by name and he was sure they only knew his because he was the most popular guy in school. He definitely wouldn't hang out with them if it weren't for those ridiculous social walls and prejudices. _

_But Troy Bolton had long ago accepted the fact that if he wanted to be somebody, he would have to do whatever it took to stay among the people he was with right now. And he would do it, no doubt about that. It didn't matter anymore, anyways. He didn't care about what he did as long as it saved his status as unchallenged king of East High, the playboy and the one always crowned with success whenever it came to girls. He had learned to not trust anybody besides his family and Chad and he had learned to take advantage of the fact that girls were throwing themselves at him. But that didn't mean he didn't like a challenge. And Gabriella Montez just happened to be the ultimate one._

_Speaking about which... where was she? He had had plans for today, plans that he longed to put into action. And he had counted on that blonde girl - Sharpay what-was-her-last-name? -, the one that constantly hung around them. He didn't notice her most of the time, but sometimes her affectation was hard to overlook. And he had never cared about her, until he had been informed that she was best friends with Gabriella, his new goal. And so he had taken to start talking to her and ever so slowly had expressed his interest in Gabriella. And to his biggest surprise she had been excited at the prospect of him being interested in her best friend. And she had promised him that she would bring her here. He wondered if he had really asked the right person. But he heavily doubted that he should have talked to Gabriella's other best friend, Taylor McKessie. He wasn't actually sure if Taylor would have been so supportive of the idea, seeing as everybody knew what he did with girls after he got bored of them._

_He was ripped out of his thoughts as suddenly movement came into the group around him. Three girls had arrived next to them and with relief Troy recognized Sharpay, the blonde, with her two friends, Taylor and Gabriella. Gabriella. His eyes became stuck on her and he watched her every move while she noticed absolutely nothing. He smirked slightly. She did look better than ever in that outfit she was wearing. Without doubt it had been Sharpay who had tricked her into wearing that. The clothes she had worn to other parties before hadn't been as revealing as that miniskirt she was wearing. With an amused look on his face he watched as she nervously tried to wiggle her skirt down a bit, so that it covered more than only a third of her __thighs, huffing with exasperation as she noticed that the movement showed off her flat stomach. Damn, that girl had the body of a goddess._

_Right at that moment Chad noticed the three late-comers and took to greet Sharpay in an ebullient way. Troy observed the looks that the members of the cheerleading team that had stood beside them were throwing at the three girls. Their captain shot a hostile look directly at Gabriella and the brunette seemed to shrink from her. Troy could only smirk slightly. Of course Melissa had noticed that Gabriella and Taylor didn't belong to the people she normally socialized with. But in his opinion Melissa could do with some time spent away from all her obnoxiousness. And it wasn't as if he really cared about what the others thought. He wasn't about to flaunt the fact that Gabriella Montez would most likely become his latest plaything. _

_At this very moment he redirected his gaze back to the petite brunette. And sure enough she was looking up right away and starring at him. Her rich chocolate eyes seemed to burn a hole in his own. Troy regarded her with interest. He hadn't met many __girls that dared to lock their eyes with his... not that he had given them much opportunity, usually they were occupied with doing something else than just looking when he was with a girl. His eyes travelled over Gabriella's body and he had to keep himself from whistling out loud. Damn, how was it possible to long for somebody the way he longed for Gabriella Montez? He saw her shiver and grinned. Obviously she was affected by his look. He broke his gaze and turned to her blonde friend. _

_He really didn't like her, but right now he needed the others to be distracted from what he was doing. And what better way to do so than distracting them with Sharpay? "Lovely to see you with us. Doesn't happen often now, does it?" Sharpay looked at him funnily and he had to think for a moment. Or did she actually hang out with them often and he just didn't see her? Possible.__ Not that he cared anyways. Not since his mind was captured by the stunning brunette in front of him. With one quick look to the side he assured himself that no one was paying attention to him in the slightest – which was a rare, but not fully unknown event._

_Well, time to pounce. He could feel his very own desire for Gabriella starting to boil in his blood as he observed the way she stood next to all the others. He could feel nervousness radiating off of her and smirked slightly to himself. He tended to have that effect on people. __On girls, especially. "Gabriella, right?" Her name flowed from his lips as easily as if he had called for her way more often than this one time. And Troy found that he liked it. Gazing deep into that promising dark brown eyes, he saw her nod her head once and his mouth curled up in a satisfied grin. This would be even easier than he had expected it to._

"_Dance with me." The girl seemed to comprehend that it wasn't a question, but an order. But still she didn't move one bit. Troy inwardly rolled his eyes and took a few steps forward to grab her wrist, gently dragging her __away from the group of friends and towards the dance floor. On the way there he leaned down to her. "Are you ever going to say something? Or did the cat get your tongue?" He didn't even know why he asked. Usually he preferred it when his girls didn't talk too much; it prevented him from having to hear them blab on about pointless nonsense for hours. But something was different this time. He wanted to hear her voice, wanted to be given the opportunity to hear her laugh. But as he felt her shiver next to him, he laughed quietly to himself. Obviously she was too stunned to use her ability of talking. That, however, didn't apply to any other use she could put her mouth to, as he soon discovered. Eventually having reached an empty spot on the dance floor, Troy didn't even bother to pretend he wanted to dance with her. _

_Naturally he had noticed what kind of an effect h__e was having on Gabriella. She definitely would be the next one falling for him. And he intended to make the best of it. Something about Gabriella had enraptured him and he could see that she was just as infiltrated by him as he was by her. A predatory glow appeared in his smouldering eyes and he grabbed her hips, pulling her as close to him as possible. She involuntarily bucked against his hips and he let escape a low hiss. She was really asking for it, wasn't she? Swiftly his head crashed down and he claimed her soft lips with his, the fire of his desire nearly burning his whole body._

_And the moment she responded to his advances he lost control of his actions. __Devouring her lips with his, he felt her moan into the kiss, letting loose just as he was. Their bodies melted together as if they both were the fitting parts to a puzzle. Troy had never felt like this, not even once before. And he wanted more. He wanted to keep going feeling like this. And it seemed that Gabriella was the only one who could provide this to him. And if that was true… well, then it would take a very long time for him to let her go again. His lust for him overwhelming and heightening his senses, he reached for her waist once again and pried his lips away from hers long enough to ask: "You want to get out of here?" He didn't really think there was any other answer than the obvious yes and once again she caught him by surprise. She froze. Troy couldn't believe it. She wasn't actually second-guessing this, was she? Here he was, Troy Bolton, offering her the chance to make out with him and she was considering in earnest to refuse? She was mad._

_Then he heard her voice. "I don't even know you!" She was demurring. Unbelievable. The first time he heard her voice and it was her expressing reservations? She couldn't be serious. But nevertheless, he tried to reassure her. "You do know that I'm Troy Bolton, so called golden boy of East High, don't you?" The brunette nodded her head, while his mind was screaming at him to cut the small-talk and get down to business. __If she was having doubts, then she simply wasn't the right one for him. There were hundreds of girls out there that would take him in a heartbeat. But it made him hesitate. That was exactly the point why he had chosen her. She wasn't like any other girl out there, which made her a definite challenge. And Troy Bolton wasn't one to back down from a challenge. "Trust me; there isn't much to know about me besides that."_

_Gabriella wasn't convinced by that. "Well, there's this little thing that you use girls for your fun and discard them as soon as you get bored of them.__" She was really arguing back. But even he could read in her eyes that she wasn't into fighting back. Her resolve was crumbling by the second and it got harder for her to resist as she looked into his eyes. Knowing that, Troy smirked and bent down to kiss her. Moving his lips against hers, using the gasp of surprise to invade her mouth with his tongue and fighting with hers for dominance, he once again pulled her flush to his body, letting her hands feel his abs and the heat radiating off of him. As they broke apart again, he had her breathless. "And you care about that?", he taunted her, knowing fully well that this time he would meet no resistance whatsoever. _

_And something inside his chest roared with triumph as he observed her nodding and looking back up at him. "Then what are we waiting for?" He turned around and walked in the direction of the door, aware of her following him. __Once outside he only let them round one corner until he had her in his arms again. He wanted her. He knew the feeling of want, but never before had he felt it this strong. It was as if his desire for her would burn him from the inside if it didn't find satisfaction soon. He counted on Gabriella not to disappoint him in finding an outlet for the heavy tension that had built up between them in the last few minutes. And he was right. As soon as her lips moved against his, she had elicited a moan from him. Damn. She really was incredible in this department. There had been girls that had satisfied his needs before, but never had one had the skill to educe a moan out of him._

_Smiling, he released her lips shortly.__"And maybe you're much more interesting than the other girls I met until now? Who knows? I just might decide to keep you around a little longer." He grinned again at that thought and his eyes lit up. She really was something. Could it be? Could he have finally found someone to match his own intensity? He didn't know, but he would find out. And what better way to do that was there than keeping her around him? That shouldn't be too hard, seeing as she was already willing to oblige him. She was reacting to his touch in a way that left him breathless as well as her and he liked it. It was settled. She was his._

_- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -_

**Lately, you've been changing  
Not the same as when we started this**

She was his. Had been since about three months now and he was still wondering how that could be. There was no doubt in the world anymore that she had captured something of him that he didn't even know had existed in him. And he hated it. It was dangerous, feeling anything for anyone besides himself. It made him vulnerable. It wouldn't really matter as long as no one realised that vulnerability, but Gabriella seemed awfully close to discovering it. She had changed. At the beginning she had been intimidated by him, he had felt it. But she had fallen for him just as quickly as any other girl. And he had become hung up on the way she made him feel. And now that mistake was coming back to bite his ass. Gabriella started to become attached to him. And even worse, he to her.

And now, three months after the whole thing had started, things had taken a different course instead of the one he usually had them. She was starting to become self-confident in his presence; she was starting to take over a bigger place in his life. And at first he had done nothing to stop her. He hadn't even noticed that they had stopped entirely focusing on the physical parts of their relationship and had begun to talk way more often than ages ago. She was opening up to him and while he still hadn't talked to her about himself, he had been too close to do so for more than one time. And that was why it was becoming dangerous. She shouldn't have any power over him. It just wasn't what Troy Bolton did. And so he came to the conclusion that he needed to stop whatever it was that was going on.

She was changing. He was changing. They were changing. And he was the one to stop it. Before it was too late. His friends were already starting to become suspicious of him. And that was something he absolutely couldn't afford. His social status was worth more than anything else. It had made him to the one he was today. And he wasn't ready to give up the post of East High's golden boy to anyone. So this was going to change. He would get his lost control back. Whatever the cost. He would do it. Even if it should cost him Gabriella and therefore the feelings she evoked in him.

**You knew our situation  
Now you're tripping, what's the reason?**

**I'm not leaving what I've got at home  
Why you asking? You already know**

Troy could remember the first time he had noticed that something was changing, that something wasn't quite going as planned. He had called upon Gabriella earlier and had told her to meet him in a place well hidden from any publicity. No one would be able to find them there. As he had walked in on her two hours later, he had found her on the ground, crying her eyes out. He had been at a total loss. Never had he had to deal with a girl's tears before, unless he had caused them and in that case he had never cared before. So now he had had absolutely no idea about what do make of it. But he hadn't had to make the first step. Gabriella had heard him coming in and had slowly raised her head, the tears still rolling down her reddened cheeks. "I'm breaking, Troy.", she had confessed to him, her voice breaking at the mention of his name. "I'm breaking on the inside and there's nothing I can do about it. You're destroying me, destroying my life."

Troy had gone into shock. Whatever he had thought might have been wrong, that hadn't been it. He had blinked a few times, trying to regain his composure. And eventually he had succeeded. "Again." His tone had grown cold, emotionless. He simply had no other way to deal with this, seeing as he had never had to do it before. Gabriella was the first one to be around him for that long and it obviously didn't do her any good. But that really wasn't his fault. She was free to walk away and she knew it. Hell, she had threatened to do it a few times before, but she had never actually done that. Well, that was her fault. And he soon had found out that her statement hadn't been meant as an accusation towards him. "That's not entirely your fault, I know that. I should be strong enough to walk away from you, I should be able to leave. But I'm not, Troy. I'm weak. And that's my fault." She looked ready to break down in hysterics and Troy hadn't known what to do. So he had left.

He remembered that she had acted as if nothing had happened the next day. But it hadn't been for long. Only a few days later she had pried her lips loose from his and had asked a question he had never expected to hear from her. "Have you ever imagined how it would be if you'd just drop your playboy antics and go for a real relationship, Troy?" Caught by surprise he had stumbled away from her, starring at her with incredulousness written all over his face. He hadn't known why she would even ask such a question. She already knew what he was to say. There only was one answer to a question like that. "No, of course not." After that she had left the topic alone, but Troy had never been able to forget the look of dejection on her face after hearing his answer. She really was changing. Was she starting to look for something more than just what he would, what he could give her?

**What I'm gonna say, the answer is no  
There's no time to play, time for you to go**

So much had changed in the last weeks. Gabriella was now constantly showing him her soft side and he despised it. Not so much her presenting him her strengths and weaknesses, but more the fact that he was starting to fall for it. He could feel it. His heart was nearly anticipating it. It wanted Gabriella to open herself to him. And Troy couldn't let that happen. Listening to his heart had always brought him heartache and he wasn't going to fall for that again. And so he had made the most difficult he had ever had to make in his entire life. He would go back. He would go back to his old life, forget about Gabriella, have his ways of doing things and enjoying life without worrying over anything and anyone besides himself. He would dumb Gabriella. For good. She had this hold over him that needed to be removed completely, because it was starting to take its toll on his life. And that was one thing that was to never happen. He knew that it wouldn't be easy; there was no way denying that he had somewhat become attached to her in his very own way, but it had to be over now. He had to undo what she had done to him and he would do so. And if it would cost him his life. He wouldn't let anyone rule over his life in any way possible. He could never again lose his control.

**No more, so get on out the door  
You're catching feelings, and that's not what this is for  
If you can't handle what we've got, I'm a have to cut it off  
You're catching feelings, and that's not what this is for**

And so he had done it. It had been a rainy afternoon, just as you would expect it to be if life was one sappy romance novel. Troy snorted. What a coincidence, since Gabriella loved to read those. Romeo and Juliet was her favourite book. He shook those thoughts from his head and concentrated on the deed that lay before him. He had sent her a text about half an hour ago and she still wasn't there. That made him nervous. What if she wouldn't come? But he didn't have to worry for long. There she was, storming towards him, breathless and with reddened cheeks. Laughing she fell down beside him. "What's wrong that I had to leave Sharpay and Taylor behind?" Smiling, she looked up to his face and grew serious as she saw the storm brewing in his cerulean blue eyes. He simply said two words. "It's over." He would never forget the look of horror on her face.

**Everything that starts must come to an end  
We can't even be friends 'cause you're catching feelings  
It's a shame girl you had to pledge allegiance  
Now I've gotta be blunt, you're caught up, you're caught up  
Everything that starts must come to an end  
Don't wanna see you again 'cause you're catching feelings  
It's a shame girl you can't see the reasons  
But it's here till the end, you're caught up, you're caught up**

He couldn't believe it. She had actually tried to hold him back from breaking it off with her. He had never experienced that before. Usually the girls he went with accepted it without much of a fight; simply because they had known it would come down to this. But Gabriella… Gabriella had acted as if she had actually hoped that he would stay with her for good. And now he knew for sure. She had feelings for him that went deeper than friendship and desire. And he couldn't deal with it. Wondering why it was that big of a problem for him and why he hadn't already moved on, he reflected his own feelings. No, he had never felt more than lust for her, he was sure of it. It could have gone so well. For so long she had been his outlet for everything not going along with his plans and then she had to go and become one his plans gone wrong. Why the hell couldn't have everything stayed the way it had been? They wouldn't have any problems if she hadn't developed feelings for him. Heck, maybe they would have even been able to stay friends after his interest had worn off. But as soon as that thought crossed Troy's mind, he swore at himself for it. Friends. That was even more foolish than anything Gabriella had done. They would never have been able to become friends. The tension between them had been too tangible and the social walls would have never allowed for it to happen, anyways. It was probably really for the best that things had ended now. It was clear that Gabriella had been caught up and that would have never gone well.

**Let****'s get it clear – never been your man  
But if you want something I can't have I'm sure that no-one can**

**Don****'t understand, girl, where you get off  
Stressing out, my girl, blowing up a spot**

**Trying to get me caught in some kind of lie  
But I won****'t play your games 'cause I know your kind**

**Girl I ain't blind, I see what you'r****e trying to do  
But you can't have it 'cause there's no me and you**

"Troy!" If he hadn't been listening intently, he would have missed the soft, lifeless voice that called out for him, begging him to stop for a minute. His heart clenched in a mix of anger, helplessness and pity. Why was she doing this? She knew that he didn't want anything to do with him. He had told her and as long as he recalled his words correctly he had been more than clear. _Leave me alone_. Sharply turning around, an expression of coldness and lack of emotion on his face, he regarded her with a look that made her shy away from him a bit. "What?" His tone was harsh, ice-cold and indicated that he was going to blow up any moment now. But Gabriella wasn't going to back down now. She hadn't wasted her time on nothing and Troy could read the determination in her eyes. He prepared himself for a very ugly scene. "I thought it was obvious that I don't talk to people like you?" Gabriella only rolled her eyes. "Drop the act, Troy, there's nobody around to buy it!" He looked around. Really, there was no one in sight. She was getting better at picking times they wouldn't be interrupted.

Unwillingly he snarled: "Then what do you want? I already told you that it's over." Gabriella snorted. "Like there was even something to be over to begin with." Troy cocked his head to the side. That was something new. Had she finally understood what was going on? She had, but she had drawn conclusions that he didn't like. Maybe because there was way too much truth in it? Gabriella obviously felt the need to explain herself, as she was fidgeting. With a nod he indicated for her to go on. "I know that you never were interested in anything else than using me. But that doesn't mean that it was the same for me. I don't know if you ever thought about it, but I've fallen for you." Troy smirked nastily. "I know that part already. What's the news?" A flicker of uncertainty crossed Gabriella's face. Then she composed herself. "I love you." Troy froze on the spot. This wasn't happening. She hadn't said… She couldn't have… She had. Emptiness overcame him and he did the only thing that came to his mind. He denied it. "That's a lie." She didn't love it. It was some sort of trick, to get him to disconfirm what he had told her when he had broken things off with her. But he wasn't going to fall for this. "You're only lying. Please. As if I would buy it." He looked her square in the eye and saw them glistening. Were that tears threatening to fall?

Gabriella shook her head. "No, it's not. And you know it." Troy had already turned to walk in the other direction, but her statement hold him back. Why would he know it? He could hear Gabriella breath heavily from behind him. "I would have never done what we did two months ago if it weren't that way. You know me, Troy. I was a virgin." His breath caught in his throat and his blood froze in his veins. What the hell? "That's… not… true!" He denied it, denied her. It couldn't be true. That would mean she had given herself to him. That would mean that she really had hoped for him to change. Foolish girl. She should have known that it was different. He heard her taking two steps towards him, then hesitating. "It's true. I wouldn't lie. Not to you." Troy's heart was agreeing, but his mind was screaming at him that she was only telling that because she wanted him. And his mind won. Whirling around, he put up a smirk on his face and told her: "Oh yes, you would. Girls do everything to climb up the social ladder, don't they? You'd even stoop that low as to claiming you loved me. That's rubbish. And even if you did: It wouldn't matter. What were you hoping? That your claim would make me realize that you are the one for me and that I've done the biggest mistake of my life dumping you? Well, it's not working. I only used you. Get that in your head!" With that he turned around and walked out on her, missing the soft whisper: "I wasn't expecting anything. I just wanted you to know."

**Anymore, so get on out the door  
You're catching feelings, and that's not what this is for  
If you c****an't handle what we've got, I'll have to cut it off  
You're catching feelings, and that's not what this is for**

He had done it. He had managed to get his life back on track. The last two weeks had proven it all too well. He was back in control and he was damn glad about it. It felt good. It felt amazing to be the one deciding over what he did and what he didn't do. He had never noticed while being together with Gabriella, but he had subconsciously changed his ways of life to fit better in hers. He had tried to not hurt her, had beat about the bush on some subjects, had never told her off on some things he would have never allowed to other girls. Looking back, he couldn't believe that he had ever had a girl for longer than a week. But now Troy Bolton, the playboy, was back and everyone noticed. It was apparent that he went to every party that was out there, came with a different girl every time and had a fantastic time in general. Nothing that would have been uncommon three months ago, but even the dullest pupil of East High had noticed that Troy had been absent a lot until now. But nobody dared to question him about it and he wouldn't have answered anyways. Couldn't have, as he was trying to forget Gabriella. And slowly he could feel that his efforts were being taken into account. Gabriella mostly was no more than a shadow on his mind. And at the times he was forced to remember her – such as when he was seeing her in the hallways, looking quite drained and lifeless -, he had his methods to supersede the guilt that threatened to resurface.

**Everything that starts must come to an end  
We can't even be friends 'cause you're catching feelings  
It's a shame girl you had to pledge allegiance  
Now I've gotta be blunt, you're caught up, you're caught up  
Everything that starts must come to an end  
Don't wanna see you again 'cause you're catching feelings  
It's a shame girl you can't see the reasons  
But it's here till the end, you're caught up, you're caught up**

Troy Bolton's cold gaze was directed to a weeping girl that had slid down the wall of one of East High's corridors not too long ago, not longer being able to stand on her feet any longer, since her body was shaking terribly with every sob she let loose. Her long ebony curls cascading down her back and spilling over her shoulders, she hid her face from the attentive student body of the school, protected from all to nosy fellow students by her two best friends. Troy didn't need to see her face and he didn't need to be told the reason she was crying. There had hardly been any day that had gone by without her breaking down in tears. And he knew that he was to be hold responsible for that. Gabriella was strong, yes, but there was only so much that a single person could take and it seemed that her limit was being reached over and over again these particular days. What was no wonder, with him being back to his old self. Troy knew that he was treating her terribly. Ignoring her should have been what he had done after breaking things off. What had he done instead? Tried to hit her where it hurt the most. And all of that only to convince himself that she really wasn't the right girl for him, that it was best how things were now. And it seemed as if he had reached his goal. He was unfeeling once again. He couldn't care less what he had done this time to bring her to tears. She wasn't worth the concern. Troy Bolton turned around and left the school, without so much as a second glance backwards. This episode of his life was forever closed.

**You used to know this day would come  
The only one to blame is you  
Thinking I would never leave  
Can't see you no more**

At least that was what he had hoped it to be like. In the loneliness of his room, Troy Bolton was starring out at the rain. The little drops falling onto his window reminded him of the tears that Gabriella had cried after realizing that he was, indeed, breaking things off with her. He snorted haughtily, not believing that she had actually thought she would be able to hold him. He had always known that there would come the day he would do this – but, to be honest, he had actually counted on her breaking things off way earlier. He still couldn't think of all the parts of her life he had changed by simply being in her vicinity. And she had let him. That was the most ridiculous thing ever. If it had been him he would have never let that happen to his life. Yes, he convinced himself, it was her own fault she had come out of this heart-broken. She had known he would leave her for good sooner or later. If she hadn't, then she really was the foolish girl he had first thought her to be. He had seen her change, yes, but still… to think that anyone would ever be able to hold him, Troy Bolton, down, it was ludicrous. He would never change, he was convinced of that. So it really was for the better that things between him and Gabriella were over. Better for her, far better for him. But deep down, in his very soul, Troy Bolton realized that she had left her traces on his life as well. He had changed; she had changed him.

**Hey! Sooo, anyone wanting to kill me right now? I'm very sorry, but I did warn you: It's gotta get worse, before it can get any better. **

**And I just wanted to say sorry to the ones I'm writing to on a constant basis. It's just the fact our whole computer system was being reworked (yeah, I got my very own laptop to Christmas!! and my entire family got new computers, too, and let me tell you: it was necessary) and I couldn't do anything like writing e-mails and such. ****So, not hard feelings, yes please?**

**I don't really know when I'll be updating again, but please take notice that it won't be as long as I kept you waiting this time, 'kay? I really hope that this chapter met everyone's wishes and if it didn't, please tell me what you would have written differently. And if you liked this one, please tell me also. You just need to click that little pretty button right down there and your computer will do nearly all the rest for you :) You just need to write down your opinion. Thanks!!!**

**xoxoxo oxlovelyxo**

**Lena**


	3. Behind these hazel eyes

**Alright people, here I am again with the most important author's note I've written until up to now. I'm changing my pen name!!! Please notify that, so you won't be surprised when you get to see my stories under a different name or when you search for me as an author and there's no one coming up. I'm not exactly sure as to what my new pen name is going to be, so I can't tell you here, but you'll notice when I next update this story. I just hope that changing my name won't mess up with any story alerts or author alerts a lot of you so kindly put me or this story under.**

**This update comes so freaking late, because school hasn't been treating me all too well these past days. I had to take a test in Chemistry and one in Latin (yes, I do Latin and trust me, I don't really want to). And somehow I've got the sinking feeling that I could have kinda failed the Latin test. But we haven't got it back yet, so there's still hope :) **

**So, now that I've gotten that out of my system there are only two things left to say: First, I won't bother you with such a long author's note this time, so on with the story! And the second - inevitable, of course – the disclaimer:**

**This story is based on characters from "High School Musical', copyrighted by The Walt Disney Company. This story is intended solely for entertainment. No copyright infringement intended. I also don't own the song, the copyright or the lyrics of 'Behind these hazel eyes' by Kelly Clarkson. Someone else has the honours. **

_Recap of the last chapter:_

_At least that was what he had hoped it to be like. In the loneliness of his room, Troy Bolton was starring out at the rain. The little drops falling onto his window reminded him of the tears that Gabriella had cried after realizing that he was, indeed, breaking things off with her. He snorted haughtily, not believing that she had actually thought she would be able to hold him. He had always known that there would come the day he would do this – but, to be honest, he had actually counted on her breaking things off way earlier. He still couldn't think of all the parts of her life he had changed by simply being in her vicinity. And she had let him. That was the most ridiculous thing ever. _

_If it had been him he would have never let that happen to his life. Yes, he convinced himself, it was her own fault she had come out of this heart-broken. She had known he would leave her for good sooner or later. If she hadn't, then she really was the foolish girl he had first thought her to be. He had seen her change, yes, but still… to think that anyone would ever be able to hold him, Troy Bolton, down, it was ludicrous. He would never change, he was convinced of that. So it really was for the better that things between him and Gabriella were over. Better for her, far better for him. But deep down, in his very soul, Troy Bolton realized that she had left her traces on his life as well. He had changed; she had changed him. _

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Chapter 3 – Behind these hazel eyes

Seven days. Seven days since she had induced this imprisonment upon herself. Seven days of an aching heart, of hurtful desperation and crystal tears shimmering in the depths of chocolate brown eyes. Seven days of doing nothing besides weeping bitterly and philosophising how it had come down to this. The only thing was that there was no satisfying answer to it. It was the first and only time Gabriella Montez didn't have a response to a simple question.

And she wasn't about to get one. At least not any time soon. And even more so since she insisted on staying in bed, curled up in a ball, as if trying to exclude all the hurt and pain she had suffered through in the past seven days. Since he had shattered her entire world, causing her to lose ground and taking away everything that would have been able to break her fall. She had crashed into the ground, hard and relentless. And now she was still trying to nurse the bruises. Confused and alone.

She hadn't let anyone enter this room nor had she left it to do more than using the bathroom or getting the supplies she needed to survive. It was the only thing she did. Trying to hang onto life. It had never been this hard before, but then again had she never lost something this essential to live before, either. Thinking of him, her insides tensed up painfully once again. He had ruined her, of that she was sure. Yes, it had been her fault that she had let herself get so close to him, but it had been him that had broken her.

Now she didn't even sleep anymore. Every time she closed her eyes to try and get at least a little rest, her mind conjured up a spitting image of his face. His sparkling, crystal-blue eyes mocking her, his mouth curled up in a cruel grin and mouthing the words that had successfully put an end to all the happiness she had ever thought to find in him. And so she stayed awake, day after day, night after night. The lack of sleep was getting to her. Her mind was working slower and slower and her appearance was afflicted with her vegetating.

She hadn't used a mirror in nearly six days, but she knew how she looked anyways. Dark, dulled eyes that had lost their sparkling glamour, hair that hadn't seen any shampoo in about a week and clothes that were rumbled and had seen better days. She was just an empty shell of the vibrant Gabriella she had been only days ago. And the end of her sufferings was not yet in sight.

**Seems like just yesterday  
You were a part of me**

Tears flowing freely, Gabriella mulled over the time that had gone by already. For her, it still seemed as if it had been only yesterday when everything in her world had still been alright. When Troy Bolton had still been a part of her. She couldn't help it. Her mind was constantly wandering back to the days where she had enjoyed life to the fullest, even though it hurt terribly. With Troy in her life, she had felt so… so complete. It had been as if nothing had been missing, although she had already been given grief by his obvious lack of other feelings than lust.

But she couldn't deny that she had enjoyed his stormy advances, his heated kisses and heavenly touches. She still could remember the feeling of his hands ghosting over her skin, as though there hadn't been a lapse of it lately. She still couldn't quite believe it. Had it really been a week ago that he had spent time with her for the last time? Time flew by so past and Gabriella didn't really keep track of the time passing, so the only way of noticing how much days it had been since he had broken things off with her was the little calendar integrated in her bracelet watch. Closing her eyes and risking that the image of Troy would bother her once again, she recalled how perfectly well they had fit together.

Yes, he had indeed been a part of her. She hadn't minded. But now it became excruciatingly clear that letting him get this near hadn't been the wisest choice. Instead of just leaving her life as he had decided to stop whatever they had had going on, he had taken the part of Gabriella with him that he had claimed from the very beginning. Her heart. And living without something to fill the vacant space her heart had left behind proved to be immensely difficult.

**  
I used to stand so tall  
I used to be so strong**

She had changed so much. And she didn't know how to adjust to her old life. She had tried, tried so very hard. But the new Gabriella didn't fit in with the life she had led before Troy had come along. And so she had crumbled. An agonized smile crossed Gabriella's face as she recalled how her life had done a U-Turn. She had been so different to the time Troy had still hung around.

There had been a time when she had been smiling always constantly. She knew that it had been the only thing to stop her best friends from cornering Troy and telling him to lay off Gabriella, seeing as there had been a few times when she had run to them, bawling her eyes out because of his coldness. But in the end she had always dried her tears and gone back to him. They had known she had been happy with Troy and that was all that had counted for them.

Gabriella couldn't even deny that Troy had given her more self-confidence than she had ever had. She could remember the one time she had ever stood up to a cheerleader. It had been after a heavy make-out session with Troy in the library. He had already left the area, having told her beforehand to wait a few minutes as always. In the best of moods she had come out of the room, accidentally bumping into a blonde girl who had started screaming bloody murder only seconds later. But this time Gabriella wasn't even fazed in the slightest. Nothing could ruin her good mood, not even a cheerleader accusing her of tried murder. She had just let the blonde scream her head off and then had told the blonde exactly what she thought of her. It had definitely felt more satisfying than covering and excusing herself.

Yes, Troy had definitely helped her to develop a new sense of self-assurance. The funny thing was that he had also managed to reverse all of that the very second he had told her it was over. She didn't remember much of that day, besides him telling her that he wouldn't bother with her any longer and then leaving. She had been so dazed that she hadn't even been able to produce tears. Those had come later, when she had somehow made it back home and up to her room. Her mother had come after her, worrying why she moved like a marionette, but Gabriella hadn't been able to answer her. And now here she was, hiding away from the rest of the world, too weak to get up and go to school. Because that would mean facing him.

**  
Your arms around me tight  
Everything, it felt so right  
Unbreakable, like nothin' could go wrong**

What the hell had gone wrong? Why had he broken up with her all of the sudden? There had been no apparent cause for him to break the strings. So why? He had even gone so far to open up a little bit. So why would he suddenly break off everything between them? She once again thought back to a day that had been ages ago. Troy had picked her up at her house and had brought her to a secluded meadow just outside Albuquerque. They had started out as usually, fooling around in the grass. She could still feel her lips tingling as a reminder of the hours she had spent with him.

But something had been off that day. Not in a bad sense, it just wasn't the same as always. Troy hadn't appeared to be as hormone-driven as normally, his kisses had somehow seemed softer. It had been the one and only time he had treated her as if she was breakable. She had been surprised, but what had her flabbergasted was him rolling off of her after a slow and sensual kiss that had had her insides burning. She had been sure that he'd try going further than that, but he hadn't urged her, as if sensing that she wasn't ready.

Instead he had turned her, so he had been facing her back and had pulled her flush against his chest, softly breathing down her neck, as they continued to simply lie in the grass, his hand softly rubbing her arm. She hadn't been able to stop a large, ecstatic smile spreading over her face at the amount of affection he had been showing. At the time it had led her to think that maybe it wasn't only lust that drove him to pursue her this long. It had only been two days later when she had decided to give herself to him.

And now she was left behind to regret ever letting him in. Had she completely misinterpreted his behaviour in the meadow? Had him being seemingly content with just holding her in his arms been no more than speciousness? It sure appeared that way. She really didn't want to believe it, but there was no way around it. Troy Bolton had led her on, had known exactly what he needed to do to get her into his bed. And she had fallen for it, fallen for it the same way she had for many of his other tricks. He had given her a false sense of security and she had had nothing better to do than believe in it.

**  
Now I can't breathe  
No, I can't sleep  
I'm barely hanging on  
**

Night had descended upon the city and Gabriella still wasn't sleeping. Lying wide awake in her bed, she stared at the ceiling of her room, lifeless and without any emotions. Out of the corner of her left eye she caught an imaginary movement. Turning her head, she caught sight of a picture on her table stand. Her eyes widened. It was a photo of her age-group level. Her eyes instantly searched for the one person she ridiculously enough longed to see in person. And they found him. His blue eyes seemed dull because of the photography, but apart from that he looked like he always did. Incredible perfection.

All of the sudden Gabriella couldn't breathe anymore. Desperately fighting for air, she struggled with her bedspread, flinging it on the ground. The pain was back. The lack of sleep usually made sure that she didn't think much about Troy, for she was way too tired to hear herself think. But sometimes certain things or taps of memories triggered a feeling of panic in her. She was drowning and there was nothing she or anyone else could do about it. She let lose a half-scream, fighting the tears that threatened to break loose and not able to get a hold over her vocal cords.

It didn't even take thirty seconds for her mother to appear in the doorway and regard her daughter with eyes full of worry. Seeing that Gabriella was indeed out of breath and her lungs seemingly refused to be filled with oxygen again, she hurried over to the small bundle of nerves Gabriella was reduced to at the moment and scooped her up in her arms. Patting her back and soothing her, she whispered comforting words in her daughter's ear. And slowly Gabriella calmed down again, feeling that there was at least one person left that needed her in their lives.

Straightening herself out, she cuddled up to her mother for the first time in years. "Oh, honey!" Her mother's voice was full of sorrow and pain. Gabriella's stomach spun over and over again. She was causing her mother pain. She hadn't thought about that. Of course she had known that her mother's life would be affected by her behaviour. She didn't come out of her room anymore; she refused anything her mother had offered her. She was hurting her mum, because she herself was hurting. The tears started to flow again, for her mother, for herself and for all that she had lost. But this time she wasn't alone. Slowly rocking her on her lap, her mother was offering Gabriella all the support she could. And Gabriella took it.

**  
Here I am, once again  
I'm torn into pieces  
Can't deny it, can't pretend  
Just thought you were the one  
Broken up, deep inside  
But you won't get to see the tears I cry  
Behind these hazel eyes  
**

It was the first time her friends actually got to see her. They took only one look at her and sighed in unison. "Honey… what's he done to you?" Sharpay, of course. Always blunt and straight to the point. Gabriella looked up at them, taking in their appearance. Taylor was the same old, but this time there was a worry line dug into her forehead. Gabriella's head cramped together. Obviously it wasn't only her mother that had suffered from her shying away from the world. Her gaze moved onto Sharpay. The blonde had set her hands on her waist and was regarding her with a mix of compassion and helplessness. Great.

"Hey, guys!" Her weak voice surprised Gabriella. She hadn't heard it herself for so long and it sounded quite a bit hoarse. As if her talking up had been a signal the two of them had waited for, Sharpay and Taylor suddenly ran over to her and clasped her into a tight hug. "Oh, Gabs!" Gabriella returned the embrace carefully and padded the bed next to her as an invitation to sit down. They followed it. "Gosh, girl, we've missed you so much!" Taylor obviously was overjoyed and Sharpay wasn't any better. "Yeah! You really know how to keep people away from you, don't you?" Taylor hit her over the head. "Way to go, Shar!"

Gabriella giggled and stopped the second she heard her own laughter. How long had it been since she had last smiled, much less laughed? Gosh, having her friends with her really was doing wonders to her condition. "I'm so sorry, guys, I didn't mean to exclude you. I just… needed some time on my own, you know?" She looked at her friends, searching their eyes for forgiveness. She found it, along with several other emotions that Gabriella preferred to not have directed at her. But she supposed that she couldn't do anything about it.

Taylor pulled her into a hug once more, Sharpay joining shortly after. Without releasing her, Taylor asked softly: "How bad was it?" Before Gabriella could even open her mouth, a voice from the doorway answered. "Horrifying, really. I didn't know what to do anymore. She didn't let me in until the day before yesterday. Gosh, I really must be doing a horrible job of being a mother. I didn't even know she was seeing anyone." It was her mother. Gabriella looked up to see Sharpay and Taylor nodding sympathetically. So the question hadn't been for her in first place.

"No, mum! You really are the best mother one could ever wish for. I didn't want anyone to know about Troy and me. Well, besides Shar and Tay, of course. But that's just because they had already seen the beginning, you know?" Gabriella was desperately trying to convince her mother that it was all her own fault. Her mother sent her a sad smile. "If you think so, sweetie." She nodded her head once, before continuing: "I suppose I'll let you guys be alone, hu?" Gabriella gave her a thankful smile. "I love you, mum!"

They watched her leaving the room. The instant Taylor thought her out of hearing distance, she turned to Gabriella: "Tell us everything, if it isn't too hard for you." And Gabriella did. She told them everything, from the very start to the very end. It was tough and there were times when she couldn't restrain herself from crying, but it felt good to have her friends with her. And so the whole story spilled out of her.

As she stopped talking, the room fell silent for a good five minutes, each girl dwelling on her own thoughts. Then a loud sigh broke the silence. "God, had I known what would happen, I'd have ripped off some body parts very dear to him way earlier." Gabriella couldn't help herself, she giggled again. Now that she had gotten all that off her chest, she felt way better than before. "Now that would actually be a real crime, Shar." The blonde threw her an amused look. "Well, you would know." The statement abruptly shut Gabriella up and a hurt look crossed her face. Sharpay caught it and felt like hitting herself. Of course it was way too early to joke about it.

"Gosh, I'm so, so sorry, Gabs. You know me, I talk before I think. I really didn't mean to…" Gabriella interrupted her. "Never mind." She lapsed back into silence, when Taylor spoke up. "So this is why you've been hiding yourself away so long." Gabriella nodded. "I just can't stand looking at him. Hell, I can barely think of him without breaking down, how would I be able to actually face him?" Her best friends shared a knowing look. "We know, Gabs. But if I should give you a piece of advice: Do you really want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he's completely broken you?"

"It's been your advice that got me into this mess, Shar." The blonde looked quite ashamed of herself and Gabriella was feeling guilty. She hadn't wanted to blame anyone. If there was anyone to blame, it was herself. And Troy. Yes, definitely Troy. But before she could apologize, Sharpay already spoke up again. "Yeah, well, maybe this is the one that'll get you out of it!" Gabriella thought about it for a minute. She didn't want Troy to think he had won. Looking back, she came to the conclusion that it had indeed been wrong to cover in the corner and let him walk over her. But she also knew that she wouldn't have been able to do any differently. Gosh, she had done so many wrong things in the past months…

**  
I told you everything  
Opened up and let you in**

Her first mistake had been letting him in. She should have cut all strings after that one evening at the party; she should have never agreed to be the girl on the sidelines, there when he needed it and painfully ignored the rest of the time. Instead she had let herself be reduced to being a lapdog: she had come running when he had whistled and she had let herself being chased away whenever he wanted to have his peace. The second had been to confide in him. She had told him so many things… even though she had known it wasn't really interesting to him. But to that time it had felt so right. The only issue was that she had made herself vulnerable. He knew so much about her, who was to say that he wouldn't abuse his knowledge? She really should have kept to herself.

**  
You made me feel alright  
For once in my life**

But he had made it impossible. She didn't know if it was a talent of his, but his charm and passion had the same effect as magic on her. Before Troy her life hadn't been much of a top prize in the lottery. Sure there had been highlights every now and then – her friends, her family, the success in school -, but with Troy it had felt as though every day was the best day of her life. She had always felt so elated – when she hadn't been drained because of having to keep up with his moods and her school work – and for once in her life it had felt as though everything was going as it was supposed to. But now the effects had worn off and thrown her into a deep, black whole which was a challenge to come out of again.

**  
Now all that's left of me  
Is what I pretend to be  
So together, but so broken up inside**

This was it. This was the day she would be facing Troy Bolton once again. She was driving to school and to say that her insides were dancing salsa would be the understatement of the century. Arriving at school, she was near a nervous break-down and if it hadn't been for Sharpay and Taylor that had awaited her at the school gates, she would have turned around and given a damn if she would ruin her perfect record by skipping school. But so there was no way, as Sharpay grabbed her at the elbow and all but pulled her out of the car. "You're not chickening out on this one, Montez! You're going to do this!" There were times Gabriella thought about hitting Sharpay Evans for real, even if that would be attempting suicide.

But she braced herself and began her walk up to the school doors. She didn't know what to expect. Surely Troy hadn't told anyone why she was absent… he wouldn't want to ruin his reputation. But she had been absent from school for nearly two weeks and that tended to cause gossip at East High School. The rumour mills were working and they were working fast. And she was right. As soon as she entered the building, running the gauntlet began. Holding her head high, she acted as if she didn't even notice the pointing and stares from her fellow students.

_Ignore them, ignore them, _she chanted over and over in her head, frantically trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall once again. One would think that after days of straight weeping, the production of tears would have been cut down, but Gabriella had to discover that it wasn't so. However, she had to keep up the pretence of being fine, if not for herself, then at least for her friends, her family and everyone else. Pretending, yeah, she was quite good at that. Maybe she should join the drama club after all.

Sure talking to her friends had helped her, but she still was far away from recovery. And although she prayed that her heart would hurry up with healing, she doubted that it would be that way. She still felt hollow and she was sure that seeing Troy was going to make it even worse, but her mother had been worrying too much lately, so Gabriella had decided to go to school again. Recalling her schedule, Gabriella turned the corner only to stop short seconds after. Sharpay and Taylor, who had been following her, nearly crashed into her back. But before they could even think about complaining, they saw the reason for Gabriella's behaviour.

A quiet gasp escaped Gabriella's mouth as she regarded Troy at the other end of the hall, talking animatedly to a red-headed girl. She was sure that he had not seen her yet, for he hadn't turned his head as she had rounded the corner. She felt Sharpay and Taylor grab a hold of either of her hands and she felt thankful for that. They were showing her that they had her back, no matter what. But that knowledge didn't help in the slightest as she had to watch Troy backing the girl up against the lockers and beginning to kiss her passionately.

She ran. Nothing could stop her, not even the restraining hands of her best friends. She ran past the kissing couple, nearly bumping into Troy by accident, but fortunately able to dodge him. She could hear Taylor and Sharpay running after her and calling out for her to stay where she was, but she couldn't listen to them. The break-down wasn't far away, she knew it, and she'd rather not break into tears in public. Making her way to the girl's restroom, she looked the doors and slid down the wall, her slim body shaking uncontrollably with sobs. He already had another one. And now he knew that she was back. There was no way he would have missed Sharpay and Taylor's calls.

**  
'Cause I can't breathe  
No, I can't sleep  
I'm barely hangin' on  
**

The next days went by without anything else than Gabriella breaking down in tears every second one of them. Her friends were worrying about her, not so much because of the crying – they knew she would eventually adjust and get over her aching heart -, but because Gabriella still had dark circles under her eyes. They had cornered her about that, but all she had told them was that she had been having nightmares and that she barely slept anymore. They had pressured her about what she was dreaming about, but she had kept to herself. Still, they couldn't get rid of the feeling that Gabriella was still dreaming about Troy, enough to send any heart-broken girl over the edge.

Run-ins with Troy became more frequent and he wasn't doing anything to make the situation easier on Gabriella. She had supposed that he would ignore her, but he didn't. Instead he singled out her eyes every single time they met, throwing her cold und uncaring looks, threatening her silently to keep quiet about them or else. One time it had been exceptionally bad. He had pierced her with those eyes of his and she had felt as though she was being suffocated. Not being able to stand it, she had turned around and fled the scene, hearing him laugh ruthlessly behind her.

And he wasn't about to lay it off. Instead it seemed as if he had decided to step the game up a little. They had met in a crowded hallway full of people from the most diverse social cliques. Nevertheless it had been her that he had singled out to torture. She had simply intended on passing him by, but he wasn't having any of that. Approaching her subtly, he grabbed her arm forcefully, making sure that nobody had seen it and slammed her into a locker. Gabriella let out a shriek of pain, alerting the students around her. Face distorted in pain, Gabriella looked up at him, disbelieving that he had really done that. "Watch what you are doing!" The people around them could only refer the remark to him bumping into her, but Gabriella caught the hidden meaning. _It's your own fault you're like this. If you had watched what you're doing, this would have never happened. _

Gabriella felt like screaming. And even though she knew that that wasn't the smartest move to make, she did it. She yelled at him. "You really are full of yourself, aren't you? Gosh, I don't see why people like you; you have to be the most self-centred person I've ever seen in my entire life! It's no wonder people are taking cover from you, when you treat them like dirt all the time!" Her face was flushing red and her breathing picked up an unhealthy rhythm, but she didn't care. It took all her self-control to not cry in front of him, but someone had to tell him how terrible he was most of the time. It was just that he didn't even seem phased by her telling him off.

Looking down at her with a calm look on his face, he said: "Gosh, are you overly sensitive or what? Please, people don't take cover from me, they like me. And if they don't piss me off, I let them live their lives as they want to." Gabriella shook her head. He really was self-absorbed. Troy seemed to have caught the flicker of disgust on her face, for his voice became lethal: "Why are you still standing here anyways? I thought you'd be off by now, finding someone higher in the social ranking than you to suck up to. Isn't that what social climbers like you do? Trying to latch onto someone and get them to declare you their girlfriend, so you're not the last step on the ladder anymore?" He said it with a calculating look on his face, knowing exactly what he was doing to her.

Gabriella swallowed hard and fought for air, as the hurt and pain washed over her once again. He took her for a social climber. He thought that her saying 'I love you' had been well-planned and only a try to get him to declare her his girlfriend. If it had been any other guy to take her for a social climber, Gabriella could have cared less. But this was Troy. And she couldn't care more than she did. Tears coming up once again and beginning to flow over her face, she felt as though he had hit her right in the stomach. Sliding down the lockers he had slammed her into, she tried holding herself upright, but it was no use. Her legs giving in under her, she looked like a basket case once more. And Troy just turned around and left.

**  
Here I am, once again  
I'm torn into pieces  
Can't deny it, can't pretend  
Just thought you were the one  
Broken up, deep inside  
But you won't get to see the tears I cry  
Behind these hazel eyes  
**

The next time she saw Troy was when he was able to catch her in a deserted hallway. She had taken a trip to the girls' restroom and was already late to get to class, so she had taken the short route to the science class room which led through the corridor leading to Maths and English literature class. The instant she turned the corner she saw Troy about to enter the classroom for Maths. He saw her and halted his movement, hand on the door handle. Gabriella hesitated, but knew that she had no choice but try to get past him without having to deal with him. Unsure of what he would do, she tried to push past him, eyes adverted and directed at the ground. She had already made two steps away from him and was ready to breathe easily again, when she felt his hand make a grab for her elbow. She tried to dodge him, but basketball practice had done him good.

Holding her back easily, Troy pulled her back and spun her around, so they were seeing face to face. She looked up at him, eyes wide and afraid, not knowing what he wanted from her. Obviously he wanted to talk. "You know what?" He paused a moment and she shook her head. "I'm sick and tired of you pretending to be affected by me breaking things off with you. You're putting on a really good show, but there's no use crying over spilled milk. You'll never be able to convince me you're not just a social climber, so why not move onto the next popular boy to try your luck?" Gabriella had to swallow heart, her heart breaking even more, now that she had to hear those words coming out of his mouth.

She opened her mouth to retort, but she couldn't think of anything. What do you tell a guy that's persuaded you only used him for popularity? Troy watched her struggle with her voice for a few minutes and then just told her, head shaking: "You know what? Since you obviously don't know what to do next, let me suggest you something. Why don't you try it with John McConner? His current girlfriend isn't very faithful, if you get what I mean, and I'm sure he'll need a shoulder to cry on pretty soon. What a perfect opportunity for you, isn't it?" His tone was hard and his words were spoken haughtily, but Gabriella was sure that she had detected a small amount of hurt in his voice.

Nearly begging him to stop with the accusations, she halted him from saying anything more by finally speaking up: "Troy… Troy, you know it's not like that. Not for me, anyways. I would never use you for popularity, or anyone else for that matter. It's just that the times I've spent with you caused me to … I don't know, develop feelings for you, I guess. And I was hoping that it was the same for you." The flicker that crossed Troy's eyes before he composed his face in a mask of carelessness could only be described as pure disbelief. "if you really thought that, then you're an even bigger idiot than I took you for."

That was the last straw. Seeing red and not being able to stand it anymore, Gabriella used all her strength to secede herself from him. Taking him by surprise, she actually managed to break free and get out of his range. Throwing him one last bitter look, she scurried down the hallway, glad that he couldn't see her broken heart. The way he behaved himself right now convinced her that he'd make fun of even that. Turning the corner, she could hear his voice faintly behind her. "Do not ever cross my way again, Montez, or you'll be terribly sorry!"

**  
Swa****llow me then spit me out  
For having you I blame myself**

And she was indeed terribly sorry, even though she didn't wish for meeting him over and over again. But there were times when she just couldn't avoid him, like when she really needed to get to class and couldn't take the risk of coming too late, just because she took another way. And so their public fights continued, with him always holding the upper hand. One day it had been particularly bad. She couldn't even recall what he had said to her that day without tears coming to her eyes the very second.

He had told her something along the lines of her being no more than a common slut, someone you discarded as easily as you could pick them up. And to make matters worse, he had seemed as if he meant every word of what he was saying. It had broken her once more and not even her friends that had stood up for her had been able to save her from crumbling down at his feet once more. Her body had shaken terribly with every sob she had let loose. Her hair spilling over her shoulders, she had hid away her face from the attentive student body of the school, Sharpay and Taylor protecting her from all too nosy students. She was trying to get over him and to not let herself get affected too much by him bullying her, but there was only so much she could take until she reached her limit.

And her limit seemed to be reached over and over again, with Troy treating her like crap. Instead of ignoring her – for which she had hoped to a great extent -, he continued to hit here where it hurt the most, upsetting her to the point it got agonizing and not caring what he did to her. Tears glistening in her big, brown orbs, she had looked up at him and had met an unwavering gaze of coldness. It had been clear that he hadn't cared about her at all. She obviously was just something that reminded him of an episode in his life that he wanted to forget more than anything. She didn't understand, however, how bullying her was going to make him forget. Wouldn't pretending she didn't exist do more good?

The only thing Gabriella knew was that the incident had only been good for one thing. It had shaken her wide awake. She had finally realized that all hopes of Troy ever being different from what he was at the moment had been in vain. He would never change. Why should he anyways? He was the most popular boy at East High, the girls were falling to his feet and the boys envied him, so why change? That, however, meant that she'd have to change back to the Gabriella she had been before him. It wouldn't be easy, seeing as he had completely taken her over and spit her out afterwards.

Now she had to pick up the pieces. She shouldn't have let him get to her in first place; she shouldn't ever have considered him to be more than the boy that called her up whenever he needed an out of the life he was leading. God, all the things she had done for him… she didn't exactly regret it, the only thing she regretted was the outcome of the whole thing. But the time she had spent with him, no, she could never be plagued by regrets because of something that wonderful.

**  
Seeing you it kills me now  
No, I don't cry on the outside  
Anymore...  
**

She did regret, however, that she couldn't get her feelings under control. She was sick and tired of constantly giving Troy the satisfaction of knowing that he still got to her. Whether it was hurting because of his harsh words or the strange, unhealthy feeling of craving him and his touch whenever his stormy blue eyes swapped over her. She knew it was ridiculous: he was apparently set on making her life a living hell and she still kept pining after him. She couldn't help the scorching pain on the inside, but she could try to soothe it. And she could definitely stop showing how affected she was by him on the outside. She would never cry in front of him anymore.

**  
****Here I am, once again  
I'm torn into pieces  
Can't deny it, can't pretend  
Just thought you were the one  
Broken up, deep inside  
But you won't get to see the tears I cry  
Behind these hazel eyes**

It was time to move on with her life. And she knew just the person she needed to help her clean up the mess and maybe, maybe even to pay Troy back for what he had made her go through. She would show Troy Bolton what he was missing out on by persisting on continuing his womanizing ways. Picking up her cell phone from the table stand, she dialled a number that she had never called before. Sharpay and Taylor had given it to her, with the information that the owner had been asking for her the whole time she hadn't been in school.

And he did indeed seem to care about her, for he had been the only one to interrogate her about her break-downs in public. Gabriella remembered the day he had found her crying under a tree on the school grounds after a run-in with Troy that had gone awfully wrong. Her resolve had been so weakened that she had willingly told him everything that had been going on between her and Troy, not caring if he would betray her to the popular basketball captain later. Only when she had gotten everything off her chest, had she noticed who she had confided in. Her whole body tensing with dread, she had looked up at Aaron McCarty, the new boy.

Only he wasn't so new anymore. His good looks, his charm and his undeniable talent for playing basketball – he was nearly as good as Troy – had him fit in on the highest step of the social ladder in absolutely no time. And everyone knew that they all regarded Troy as the highest authority at East High School. So why wouldn't Aaron rat her out to him? But the boy had proven to have an immense understanding of the situation she was in and had actually offered her his help. If there was anything he could do for her, she just needed to ask. And that was the reason for her to call him up now, a plan forming in her head.

The next day Gabriella went to school, possessing a new sense of self-confidence in her. Not one she had gained through a boy, but because of herself. Giving her friends a hug as she encountered them, she let them in on her friendship with Aaron. Both of them squealed with delight and their joy only grew as they saw Aaron approaching Gabriella with a smile on his face. Feeling strong arms slipping around her waist and drawing her into a hug, Gabriella giggled, looking up at him from under her eyelashes. "Hey, boy!" Aaron grinned down on her. "Hey, girls. Ready to catch some people off guard?" Identical, gleeful smiles spread over the faces of all three girls. "Always!"

It was time to fly a kite. Her stomach up in turmoil, Gabriella felt Aaron's hand squeeze hers reassuringly, as he confidently led her over to the table where the basketball team usually was seated. They had obviously already seen them coming, because the entire table lapsed into silence, not believing their own eyes. Surely that wasn't Gabriella Montez, Troy's favourite victim, Aaron was leading to their table? Gabriella swallowed once and then sought out the face of Troy. His expression that had been one of mild amusement only seconds before had turned to stone. This was going to get interesting.

They stopped short, when they reached the table, Aaron sitting down instantly, Gabriella needing the pressure of his hand to muster up the courage to hesitantly sit down. Struggling to keep her breathing even, she sent a small smile around the table, being greeted by astonished faces. She nudged Aaron who raised his eyebrows in playful confusion. "Anything wrong here, guys?" That seemed to shake them out of their daze. Troy was the first to speak up. "You're trying to kid us, McCarty, aren't you?" Aaron cocked his head to the side. "I'm afraid I don't know what you mean, Bolton."

Troy's mouth curled up in a cruel grin. "Well, there's no reason for you besides trying to pull our legs to bring Montez over here. Surely you wouldn't want us to associate you with people from the last step of the social ladder?" Aaron, sensing that Gabriella didn't plan to react to his words, retorted: "Please, Troy. You know as well as me that you can't count Gabriella to the ones that far down. The fact that she's smart only makes her even more interesting than she already is. It's sheer luck that nobody has noticed her previously. Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to befriend her. And you've got to admit, she's hot." He turned his head to Gabriella and winked at her, making it look affectionately.

The brunette had already had a hard time keeping a straight face, but his last sentence broke her determination to stay silent for the time being. "Aaron!" She hit him good-naturedly, blushing and giggling. He simply shrugged. "What? I'm only stating what's true!" Troy had watched their exchange with a look of disbelief on his face. Gabriella averted her eyes from Aaron and caught Troy's gaze. His eyes were of a stormy blue, but she couldn't decipher the expression that they held. She saw him shaking his head and couldn't help but feel a bit giddy, as she heard him ask: "You two are a couple?" Gabriella looked over to Aaron. Of course they weren't and she hadn't thought it would come across that way. She saw an amused flicker cross Aaron's face and she half-dreaded what was going on in his head.

"Well, wouldn't you like to know, Bolton?" Oh god. That sounded as if they actually were in a relationship. Gabriella could feel eyes burning through her forehead, but they didn't belong to Troy. They belonged to a couple of cheerleaders who were obviously jealous. Fearing for her own well-being, Gabriella corrected his statement. "No, we're only friends, not a couple." The burning looks softened down. That was until Aaron spoke up again. "Yet." Gabriella chuckled. He really couldn't help doing it, could he? Was he trying to cause a riot?

Troy obviously took Aaron's statement the wrong way. "So you're actually following my advice, Montez?" Gabriella was surprised. She hadn't expected him to speak to her directly. Luckily, she knew just the come-back. "Your advice, Bolton? Certainly not. Everyone here knows you're relationally disturbed. Why the hell would I follow any of your advice when it comes to friendships or relationships?" She could barely hide a smirk and Aaron permitted himself to laugh out loud, as everyone else starred at Gabriella in shock. How could she talk to East High's golden boy like that?

Troy's eyes flashed dangerously. "Watch it, Montez. I do believe I already showed you who's the stronger of us." Gabriella tensed up and Aaron couldn't help but pull her closer to him and press a soft kiss in her hair. Gabriella felt like a sister to him already and he wasn't going to let Troy hurt her anymore. "Sod off, Bolton. And by the way, I'd appreciate it very much if you'd leave my best friend alone, are we clear?" His tone was so low and strained that Gabriella glanced up at him, completely baffled by his protectiveness. Aaron didn't return her look, for he was too busy having a starring contest with Troy.

And Gabriella felt strangely touched. He was standing up for her like a brother and that although they had only known each other for such a short amount of time. But she knew that she'd eventually have to learn to face Troy by herself. And in her mind, she was building up the strength she needed to stand up to Troy Bolton.

**Here I am, once again  
I'm torn into pieces  
Can't deny it, can't pretend  
Just thought you were the one  
Broken up, deep inside  
But you won't get to see the tears I cry  
Behind these hazel eyes**

It had stopped. She was done hurting. She refused to do it anymore. Troy Bolton would never get to see the tears she cried. Not because she hid away, but because she wouldn't let the tears spill anymore. She wouldn't cry over him. Troy Bolton didn't deserve her tears. Yes, he had broken her, but the time to pick up the pieces was over. As Gabriella Montez averted her eyes from the ground, they were dry. And even more: the aura of devastation that had surrounded her for so long had vanished completely. Instead her olive skin seemed to be glowing. She was whole again.

* * *

**Soo, guys, how did you like this one? I hope it wasn't too boring, because it kind of is a filler chapter. But you needed to know how Gabriella is feeling with Troy finally dumping her and it was clear that she wouldn't get over it that fast, so I needed to include this. ****The next chapter is going to contain a bit more action, I promise. And I know this doesn't sound like a happy ending with them being all lovey-dovey at all, but trust me. I'm gonna write two more chapters on this one and it will be ending happily with them together – more or less.**

**And now let's talk about the number of reviews for the last chapter. I was a little bit disappointed with the four reviews I got, because I know you guys can do so much better. So I would be one happy girl if you'd just click on that little button at the end of the page and reviewed. Because reviews make me happy and I'm always writing faster when I'm happy *wink*. So let's say that I get eight reviews (or if you please even more, because I love reading them and I promise I'll write back if there's something to answer to!) and you get the next chapter. How's that for a deal?**

**Well, one last thing to add: I don't know when the next chapter will come out exactly, because I'll be away this entire week: school trip. It's called orientation days and it's good for helping us to bethink ourselves of what we expect from life and so on… to be honest, I'm not too sure if it's really gonna help, but we'll see. :) **

**Alright, gonna go now and don't forget: I'll change my pen name somewhere along the line. If it causes any problems, I'm sorry for that, but I'm just not happy anymore with the old one. **

**Bye for now,**

**Lena **


	4. Changes

**So, guys! Here I am again with the next chapter. ****I know it took longer than I had originally planned, but if I could have done anything about it, I would have, trust me. Life's been crazy and I didn't have time to write in-between. It also didn't help that I had lots of other things on my mind, but I finally got rid of all of them. I know that originally I had promised you much less waiting time, but sometimes it's not as easy as it seems to get a chapter done. **

**This chapter is from both, Troy's and Gabriella's point of view, so don't get confused. But I'll make sure it's obvious where it changes, starting out with Gabriella's.**** It was a hell lot difficult to get this where I wanted it to be and I had to rewrite it several times (hence the waiting for so long), and I'm still not completely satisfied with it, but I figured it would be unfair to keep you waiting much longer.**

**So, this chapter is dedicated to the one and only Sydni aka Fairyvixenmaiden, because of her suggestions for both the song lyrics and some aspects of the story. You're nothing short of amazing and I'm feeling extremely happy every time I get a PM from you, because I know it's gonna be a fabulous feed-back for the latest chapter. You rock and you definitely did the right choice studying psychology… your analysis of Troy was awesome! So this is for you! (One question, though, did you get my last PM?)**

**Disclaimer: I own only the plot of this story, the characters belong to Disney. I also don't own the songs 'Single Ladies' by Beyonce and the song 'Scream' by Zac Efron. They are great songs, but the credits go to someone else than me. This story is intended solely for entertainment. No copyright infringement intended. No profit made. Does that cover about everything? I think so.**

_Recap of the last chapter:_

_And Gabriella felt strangely touched. He was standing up for her like a brother and that although they had only known each other for such a short amount of time. But she knew that she'd eventually have to learn to face Troy by herself. And in her mind, she was building up the strength she needed to stand up to Troy Bolton._

_- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - _

_It had stopped. She was done hurting. She refused to do it anymore. Troy Bolton would never get to see the tears she cried. Not because she hid away, but because she wouldn't let the tears spill anymore. She wouldn't cry over him. Troy Bolton didn't deserve her tears. Yes, he had broken her, but the time to pick up the pieces was over. As Gabriella Montez averted her eyes from the ground, they were dry. And even more: the aura of devastation that had surrounded her for so long had vanished completely. Instead her olive skin seemed to be glowing. She was whole again._

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Chapter 4 – Changes

The music was pulsing through her body, as she moved to the beat of the song, the hands on her hips guiding her steps. She felt as comfortable as she hadn't in a long time and it was all due to Aaron. If it hadn't been for him, she most likely would still be suffering silently, bending under the weight of Troy Bolton's torture. He had managed to assure her that she wasn't worthless, had been able to restore her self-confidence. And the best of all was that he had done it as a friend. He wasn't in the least bit romantically interested in her; instead he treated her like he would his best friend. And Gabriella found that it was exactly what they were. Best friends.

He connected to her in a level that she had missed for a very long time. And he seemed to know exactly what she needed. She suspected that was the only reason he had agreed to go out and attend the after party hosted by one of the basketball players after an intense game against West High. She knew that it wasn't the best idea she had ever had, for it was guaranteed that Troy would be there, too. But she also knew that she couldn't put a hold on her social life once again, just because there was a slight chance of encountering him. And even if she did, there was no knowing if he'd do something.

Over the last two days he hadn't paid any attention to her, not since she and Aaron had pulled that stunt in the cafeteria. She had to suppress the laughter that threatened to spill out, as she recalled what had happened after Aaron had advised Troy to stay the hell away from her. The starring contest hadn't lasted for long. But to everyone's utter amazement it hadn't been Aaron who had given in. Gabriella's gaze that had flashed between the two of them constantly had suddenly been captured by an expression on Troy's face that she had never seen before on him. It was one of surrender, a sense of understanding and a flicker of something she hadn't been able to recognize. It hadn't lasted for long, for that Troy had much too much self-control. Instead he had opted for pushing his chair back with such vehemence that Gabriella, along with all the other girls, had winced and he had taken his leave, his face contorted to stone once again.

She couldn't ignore the pain that had shot through her at his behaviour, but she was still trying to talk herself into believing that it had nothing to do with her feelings for him. She didn't have any; she couldn't allow herself to feel something for him. And so she had pushed the pain back and had concentrated on the assailing sceptical looks, whispers and questions awaiting her. It had been the boys that had asked the questions, the girls presenting a hostile front. Gabriella hadn't really been able to blame them. She was intruding in their territory, mixing it up and turning it upside down by openly withstanding Troy Bolton's attack. It was something they weren't used to. Trying to ignore them best as she could, she had kept her head down, as Aaron had been busy laughing with the boys.

That had been when she had first felt as if she was being mustered by someone. She had looked up quickly, finding a pair of eyes starring straight into hers. It had been the boy with the afro regarding her, the one that had led the conversation at the party she had first been involved with Troy, and she hadn't made out if his expression was friendly or not. He hadn't looked away as she had caught him, simply started to search her eyes for something she didn't know of. But he had seemed to have found it, because he had nodded at her once and then had pushed his chair back to follow Troy. Her eyes had shadowed his every move until he hadn't been in sight anymore. She had distinctly remembered that she knew him. It was Chad Danforth, Troy's best friend. Suddenly she had been anxious about whatever he had seen in her.

It had been a right relief for her, when lunch time finally had been over and she had been able to escape to class. It had been English that day and she knew that both Troy and Chad took this class with her. But they hadn't shown up, causing rumours to go wild, because two of the cheerleaders having witnessed the whole lunch scene had been particularly bad at keeping their mouths shut. They hadn't even tried to conceal that they thought Gabriella responsible for Troy's absence. "It's no wonder he didn't come to class. I wouldn't be bothered either if that girl had spoken to me like that. She's lucky he's not here, otherwise he'd have her head." It hadn't exactly been great to be exposed to such gossip, but secretly Gabriella had wondered if they had been right. Had she over-stepped the boundaries between her and him? If he would have been of the same opinion as those girls had been, then there would have been hell to pay, she was sure of it.

But fortunately for her, Troy seemed to have chosen a completely other way. He had ignored her ever since and she wasn't sure why, but she had got the feeling that he was avoiding her. It was ridiculous, really, after all why would he do that, but the times she actually got to see him only strengthened her impression. He didn't look at her anymore, much less spoke to her and there had been a time when he had even turned around and headed in the opposite direction after he had seen her standing in front of her locker, laughing and joking around with Aaron. It was as if she was nothing more than air for him… air he didn't particularly like to breathe in.

So she had seen no reason to not go out. And she really couldn't have kept Aaron away from his victory party, although he protested that he wasn't all too interested in it. Gabriella knew that it had a lot to do with the girls flirting with him without any restraint, but it had become less after he had started being seen with her. She snorted involuntarily. Really, she had known them to be airheads, but to be that shallow… unbelievable. They knew exactly the two of them weren't going out, but they seemed to think that Aaron somehow was tainted by spending time with Gabriella. But she wouldn't spend time pondering over the stupidity of some human beings anymore. Not tonight. Tonight she would enjoy herself.

**Now put your hands up  
Up in the club, just broke up  
I'm doing my own little thing  
Decided to dip****, but now you wanna trip  
Cuz another brother noticed me**

It was half an hour later that Gabriella decided that enjoying the evening wasn't going to be the easiest of all things, because not thinking about Troy Bolton obviously wasn't on tonight's agenda. He had entered the room about five minutes ago and Gabriella's breath had got caught up in her throat. The Denim jeans were hanging low on his hips and the blue shirt with its sleeves rolled up to his elbows only assisted the accentuating of his sapphire-blue eyes. His shaggy, sandy-brown hair was stubbornly falling into his eyes and getting into his sight and for some reason Gabriella yearned to be able to sweep it back. Damn it, why did he have that effect on her? She shouldn't be feeling like this, she shouldn't want to be near him.

He had hurt her, hurt her so very much. So why was she still hung up on him? Why couldn't she just let go? And why did he have to give her the impression that there was still something there between them? Instead of keeping on ignoring her, he had caught her gaze as soon as he had found her in the mass of dancers enjoying themselves on the dance floor. And the emotion blazing in his stormy eyes had had her heart missing out a few beats. But the look in his orbs had changed as soon as he had spotted Aaron dancing right behind her. Gabriella had seen his whole body tense and his eyes grow cold and she had felt the insane need to reassure him that Aaron was nothing more than a friend.

That was until she remembered that she'd never speak to him again. He had thoroughly damaged every hope of hers that he could ever be interested in more than only his own amusement. Why the hell was he even acknowledging her now? He had done so well these past two days to convey the impression that he was going to ignore her after all. He did it with all of his causal flings, after all. She was nothing special, nothing out of the ordinary. So why was he making a U-turn now? Why? She clenched her eyes shut and bit her lip, trying to sort out her confusion. But then again he had probably thought through the entire thing and decided that she provided him with a challenge – again.

It probably was the only reason he was still accrediting her space in his mind. She provided a challenge. She had already done that once and he had mastered it… he had thought. And then she had turned up with Aaron and stood up to him. Not the smartest move ever if you wanted Troy Bolton to leave you alone, now that she thought about it. But she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of paying him any attention. No, she'd show him that she was in charge this time and that she wasn't going to submit to him again. He wanted her to react to him? Well, she'd show him that it wasn't always all about him, not at all.

Concentrating back on Aaron, she let the music take control of her body and leant up to whisper into his ear: "You don't mind stepping up the game a little bit, do you?" She grinned slyly up at him and he cocked an eyebrow, examining her expression and wondering what had made her drop that proposal. Then it hit him. "Let me guess: Troy Bolton has entered the scene." He grinned down at her and she blushed, shrugging her shoulders. "Gabriella Montez! Are you trying to get into me trouble?" The little wrinkle that appeared between Gabriella's eyebrows whenever she was thinking hard was obvious in the dim light. "Why would it get _you_ in trouble?" He moved forward to rest his hands on her hips, guiding her in the rhythm of the music. Leaning down, he alleged: "Because Troy's probably going to kill me, once you begin to work your moves with me. He looks it alright."

Her eyes widened the slightest bit and she risked another glance towards Troy. He wasn't alone anymore, his clique had taken their places around him and she could see that the boy with the afro had begun talking animatedly to Troy. But Troy didn't seem to pay him any attention at all, for he was still watching her with a hawk's eyes. Her stomach did a turn, but she still casually shrugged her shoulders and turned back to Aaron. "It's not his place to be angry anymore, is it? He's made clear I was nothing more than a plaything for him, so why would he start caring about what I do now?" The truth of her own words hurt, but it didn't make them less real. There was no reason for Troy to care. But deep down in her heart, Gabriella Montez wished that it was different.

For a short moment she closed her eyes, missing the doubtful look Aaron threw her way. There was no way Gabriella had made peace with that episode of her life. He had seen the way she had been hurting right after Troy had broken things off between them and he hadn't only been a crush for her. If he wasn't badly mistaken, Gabriella had loved him and she still had feelings for Troy. It made Aaron wonder if she was subconsciously trying to attract Troy's notice by taunting him instead of just dangling what he couldn't have anymore in front of his eyes. Whatever it was, it sure was working; there was no doubt about it. But Aaron didn't know if he was glad about it or horrified.

He himself wasn't interested in Gabriella that way, but he cared for her as if she was his little sister. And with that, he didn't want her doing anything that could be bad for her. He knew that Troy wasn't a bad guy in first place, but he wasn't sure if the boy would ever be able to treat Gabriella the right way. For all Aaron knew, Troy had adapted to the ways high school worked and starting a relationship with Gabriella wouldn't be the best thing to sustain his title as East High's golden boy. But there was something – and Aaron wasn't sure as to where to place it – that was going on with Troy and he would bet on everything he held dear that it had to do with Gabriella. The brunette seemed to have awakened something in Troy that didn't succumb to his control and it was making Troy feel uneasy.

The looks, alternating between heated and cold, he threw the two of them while dancing were proof enough that Troy felt something for Gabriella he wasn't ready to feel. It almost made Aaron feel sorry for the boy, but then he remembered the pain Troy had inflicted on Gabriella. Shaking his head slightly, Aaron decided to not stand in Troy's way, should he ever muster up the courage to plead for Gabriella's forgiveness and for her to take him back. But he swore to himself that Troy would have to justify himself to him if he ever hurt Gabriella again. If he wasn't going to hurt Aaron first. It wasn't unlikely as Gabriella chose exact that moment to step up with her dance moves.

The music had changed from a slower song to one with a stepped-up rhythm. And with that, the students on the dance floor were positively going crazy. Gabriella took one look at the dancers surrounding her and Aaron and then beckoned for Aaron to come closer to her. A grin spreading out on Aaron's face, he stepped closer and was rewarded with a welcoming grin. They both began moving their bodies to the faster rhythm, Aaron's hands steadily guiding Gabriella by her waist. Though she had set her mind on ignoring Troy for now, she still felt the pointed glares piercing through her back and couldn't help but wanting to provoke him. Without warning Aaron beforehand, she suddenly let her torso fall backwards, depending on Aaron's hands to preserve her from hitting the floor and came up again in one fluid movement, brushing against Aaron's body.

He froze for a second and then went on as if nothing had happened. Still he leant down to Gabriella and shook his head playfully. "Gosh, Gabriella! I may be your best friend, but there's only so much that a guy can take, you know?" He succeeded in making her blush. "Sorry!", she mouthed apologetically and bit her bottom lip in chagrin. "You're anything but sorry," Aaron retorted smoothly. "You really are trying to make Bolton throw a fit, aren't you?" Throwing him an appalled look, she hastily denied it, but it didn't sound very convincing even to her ears. His smirk confirmed that he wasn't buying what she sold him, either. Sighing, she noticed that the song was coming to an end.

"I'm gonna go get a drink. I'll be right back, okay?" She glanced up at him to see him shake his head in concern. "I'm coming with you. Don't think I'm going to let you out of my sight for even one minute with Bolton starring at you like he's ready to kill you… or me, for that matter." Gabriella's heart leapt. So he was still doing it. Swallowing hard, she dared to look over her shoulder and sure enough, there was Troy looking at her with smouldering eyes. If she didn't know better, she'd say it was jealousy flashing across his face, but the moment it run through her head she shook that thought from her mind. There was nothing to be jealous of, no reason for him to care, either.

Her voice wavered only slightly. "He's not interested. He's made that clear enough. He shouldn't have a problem with you and me. I'll be fine." With that, she turned around and vanished towards the bar, Aaron's gaze following her as she made her way to the parting mass of students. Slowly making his way over to a corner of the room, he didn't dare to let Troy out of his sight only once. And sure enough, the blue-eyed boy had his eyes trained on the petite brunette getting herself a coke. His eyes only eased up once, when he turned his head to eye up Aaron. Their eyes locked for about a minute and a silent message passed from one boy to the other. _Hurt her and you'll have to answer to me. _

**  
I'm up on him, he up on me  
Don't pay him any attention  
Cried my tears, three good years  
Ya can't be mad at me**

It all happened so quickly. One minute she had been at the bar, getting herself a coke, and the other she had turned around and had come face to face with Troy. Stumbling backwards in surprise, she was caught by the wall behind her, Troy quickly following behind her, effectively trapping her between the wall and his body. Her breath picking up a faster rhythm because of his closeness, she starred up at him in a mix of anger and confusion. What the hell did he think he was doing? Opening her mouth and closing it again, because she didn't know what to say, she waited for him to say something, but he obviously wasn't planning to.

Finally she plucked up the courage to speak. "What do you want, Bolton?" His eyebrows went up and a coldly-amused smile made its way upon his face. "Last name basis now, _Montez_?" He lessened the space between them even more and her body became strangely aware of his proximity, while her mind was protesting against her raging hormones. And her reaction obviously didn't go unnoticed by Troy, because his smirk widened even more. He lifted his hand and brushed it along her arm. The contact made Gabriella shiver. Jerkily, she drew her arm out of his reach. "Quit playing games and say what you want, Troy." Her voice was distant and he reacted to it.

Taking a step backwards, his voice grew cold: "What do you think you are playing at, Gabriella?" Her facial expression grew from confused to angry. "Damn, Bolton, would it hurt you to once say what you want without getting all cryptic?" She could see that he didn't particularly like her answer and couldn't help but smirk satisfied. Troy took a step forward. "Don't get smart with me, Gabriella. I want to know what you're doing with Aaron!" His eyes flashed with something Gabriella couldn't quite decipher. Why was he asking something like that? Why was he even here in front of her in first place? Why was he talking to her?

She stepped forward, expecting him to give way, but he didn't even budge, resulting in her crashing into his chest. Loosing her balance, she would have ended on the floor if he wouldn't have caught her just in time. "Gosh, damn it. Why don't you just go away?" Her anger was openly directed towards him and for once, it seemed as if he was affected by it. His face twisted into a mix of guilt and sadness, but it didn't last for more than five seconds. She didn't even know if she had simply imagined it. "Well, I want my answer first." She glared at him and tried to get past him again, but he moved to fast. Finally she gave up, sighing.

"There's nothing between me and Aaron. We're friends." Again she asked herself why she felt the need to explain herself to him. He had no right to treat her like this. He had ended things between them and ignored her, after treating her as if she was worthless. And it was time he saw the light. "And you know what? I don't care if you believe that or not. Because it really isn't your place to care. And I don't know why you're even here. But what I know is that I don't want you here." Troy's face contorted to stone. "No, it's not my place to care about what you do. And I honestly don't. But it is my place to care when one of my best players is being distracted by you."

Wait, what? Was he talking about Aaron? He couldn't be serious. Her anger flared and the pleased smirk on his face only fuelled her irritation. What she wouldn't give to be able to slap him right now. But she was sure that he wouldn't take all to well to that one. "Shut up. You don't know anything about me, Troy. And you certainly are in no place to judge me. What the hell is wrong with you? First you call it quits, then you start treating me like I'm completely worthless to you and then you act as if I don't even exist. And now this. Do you have some kind of multiple personality disorder?"

**  
Cuz if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it  
If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it  
Don't be mad once you see that he want it  
If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it**

**Cuz if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it  
If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it  
Don't be mad once you see that he want it  
If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it**

She starred up at him in wonder, desperately willing him to say something, to say anything. But her spilling the beans about her annoyance seemed to have left him speechless. She closed her eyes, trying to hold back the waterfalls that were threatening to break through the levee she had worked so hard to build up. She couldn't risk showing him so much of her emotions. It would mean he still had some kind of hold over her. But he deserved honesty. "I wanted you, Troy." The softness and sincerity of her tone made Troy stiffen up again. As she opened her eyes, he met her gaze cold and unwavering.

Her heart clenched together. Wrong thing said. "I don't understand you, Troy. One time you're so cold and then again you seem to care. It's confusing me and I don't like it. You know that Aaron and I are just friends and that I don't distract him from anything. I don't know why you care about anything related to me, because if you cared about me, you really should have done something about it." She took a deep breath, giving him the chance to interrupt her. But he stayed silent. And so she went on, her voice getting thicker with hidden sadness. "But you didn't, did you? You don't care about anyone but yourself. So you shouldn't pay attention to with whom I'm going out. And you really shouldn't pull Aaron into this mess."

He was still watching her, watching her with an unreadable expression on her face. And she was getting nervous. But she had nothing more to say. And he obviously wasn't going to answer her. Starring into his eyes and searching for any kind of response, she found nothing. Nothing besides his usual guard. And then he was gone just like that. Turning on his heel, he made his way through the students and all but run for the door. She watched him leave. Leave her standing alone for the second time and she could do nothing about it. Letting her head hang in defeat, she sighed and turned to search for Aaron. Finding him not even five feet away from her, she indicated that she wanted to leave.

**  
I put gloss on my lips, a man on my hips  
Hold me tighter than my Dere****on jeans  
Acting up, drink in my cup  
I could care less what you think**

It was second period on a Monday morning and Gabriella was already craving it to be weekend again. She understood nothing of the detailed presentation the teacher was holding in the front of the classroom and she wasn't even trying. There was a whole weekend between the night Gabriella had plucked up the courage to confront Troy and this period, but she still hadn't figured out what exactly had happened and what was going to happen now. She heard a low whistle from behind her back and she turned in her seat to look at Sharpay and Taylor who were regarding her with curiosity. Sighing lowly, she gave them an uncertain smile.

She didn't know if Aaron had already given them a minutely detailed re-run of the events of the last evening Troy had cornered her. Both of them hadn't been able to attend the party, respectively studying for tests, one in Drama and the other one in AP Maths, both being classes Gabriella hadn't taken. But even if he had, they didn't bring the subject up. She was thankful for it, because she really didn't want to talk about Troy's daily-changing attitudes. She was confused enough; it was not as if she needed two other opinions on that subject. But it seemed that their patience was coming to an end, now that this was the second period and she still hadn't broken out of her lethargy.

"What's up with you, Gabs?", Taylor whispered, throwing an anxious glace in the direction of their teacher. But he hadn't noticed anything, continuing with his lecture as always. "Is it Troy?" She spit his name out in disgust, knowing that he had hurt her best friend beyond belief. Gabriella froze in her seat. She really didn't want to talk about him. If she did, then it would mean that he was still some part of her life and that wasn't going to do the trick about forgetting about him. She needed to get on with her life and she needed to do so quickly. So she shook her head and attempted a smile, one that surprisingly came off incredibly easily. Maybe she was really ready to forget about him.

It was the very second the thought crossed Gabriella's mind that the school bell rang. Packing up her things fast, she was out of her seat and standing by the door in no time, waiting for her two best friends to catch up to her. Throwing them a brilliant smile, she left the classroom, Sharpay and Taylor directly behind her. On her way to the girl's bathroom, she could only hear Sharpay mutter to Taylor: "Really, her mood swings are pissing me off.". Grinning, she entered the restroom and searched her bag for her lip gloss. Applying it on her lips while grinning like a Cheshire cat, she could watch Taylor and Sharpay's reflections in the mirror. They were starring at her like she had grown a third leg and she couldn't help but giggle softly. "What?"

"Who are you and what have you done to our best friend?", Sharpay enquired her, lifting her perfectly plucked eyebrows. "Nothing", Gabriella replied with ease. "I've just decided to not care anymore. He's not going to come around and change his ways, so why spend any time thinking about him? It's a waste of time and I could be doing much better things instead of doing it." With a last satisfied look in the mirror, she turned on her heel and headed out the door. "I'm going to go find Aaron. See the two of you in free period." And with that, she was gone, leaving behind the two girls starring after her open-mouthed.

Five minutes later, Gabriella was still wandering around the corridors, searching for Aaron. But she couldn't see him anywhere and she had already checked his favourite places to be during break. Great. Now she'd have to find something else to occupy her time with, until he had the decency to show his face somewhere around here. She didn't have to deliberate for long, seeing as suddenly she heard her name being called. It didn't sound like anyone she knew, so she turned around, curious about whoever knew her name who she didn't know. It wasn't as if she was popular, so it was unlikely for anyone to know her that didn't belong to her family or friends.

She nearly had an anxious heart attack as she saw who was heading her way, calling out for her. It was the afro haired boy Troy hung out with a lot. What the hell did he want from her? And what was his name again? Something like Chase or so. "Hey, …" She left the sentenced unfinished and he took over. "Chad. Chad Danforth. I've wanted to talk to you for a long time now, you know that?" She had a hard time trying to keep her jaw from slacking open. He wanted to talk to her? Why for God's sake? "Oh, please, don't look at me like a dear caught in headlights. I'm not going to hurt you."

She nodded her head once, still in shock that he was actually talking to her. He regarded her with a bright smile on his face. "Try to appear a bit more convinced next time you're nodding your consent, honey." Gabriella raised her eyebrows at the nickname, regarding him from under her eyelashes. He seemed to notice her unease and smiled again, casually leaning against the wall. "So, what's up?" Alright, this was getting more and more confusing. First, he was talking to her and second, he was actually being nice? Time to sort this out. "Err, care to tell me why you're being nice? Or why you're even talking to me?"

His smile grew mysterious. "Yes. You know the ritual when two persons meet and they try to get to know each other? It's not unusual for them to start talking, you know? And it usually helps when they're being nice to each other, because the other one is going to get fed up if one is only throwing insults." Gabriella had to fight the urge to roll her eyes. "I know that,… Chad. The question is _why_ do you want to talk to me?" Chad's grin grew even wider if that was even possible. "Because I want to get to know you." The answer surprised Gabriella. "Oh." That was indeed surprising. Chad Danforth, Troy freaking Bolton's best friend, wanted to get to know her. Why the hell? It didn't make any sense. Not that her and Troy had ever made any sense, but this was just ridiculous.

Chad cocked his head to the side. "And to be honest, I understand that you're surprised. But I didn't think you'd picture me as someone mean." Gabriella's eyes grew wide with astonishment. "Oh gosh, no, I didn't mean it like that. It's just that… well, I didn't think anyone that far up on the social ladder would care to talk to someone like me. I don't want to offend you or anything, but it's not as if that clique of yours comes across all too nice." She stopped talking for a few seconds, trying to figure out if she had insulted Chad. But to her surprised, he began laughing. "Tell me about it, sweetie. I've got to admit that there are a few who could use a lesson in being nice to others, but that doesn't mean we're all stuck-up and conceited."

It didn't seem as if he was particularly angry at the assumptions she had made. Nevertheless, she had the yearning to apologize. "Well, I'm really sorry." Chad shook his head. "You've got nothing to apologize for. I guess you just don't have the greatest experiences with some of us, huh?" His eyes narrowed just a little bit and Gabriella slowly got the presumption that Chad wasn't just trying to get to know her. He was on a mission to find something out and she had a good guess about what. And she didn't really feel like prolonging his interrogation any longer. "Well, why do I get the feeling that this isn't a social call entirely?"

The smile on Chad's face wavered just a little bit and he had it back in place in no time whatsoever. "Well, you see, I've got a couple of questions for you. You don't have to reply, this isn't the Spanish Inquisition, but it would be nice to get some answers." She nodded her head and closed her eyes, bracing herself. So he really wanted to know something. Well, she would see what exactly. "What are you doing with Aaron?" Her eyes flew open. Why did every questioning start with that question lately? She wasn't doing anything with Aaron, why couldn't someone just grasp that please?

"God, Chad. And here I thought you'd have some intelligent ones by the way you started off. There isn't anything going on with Aaron and me. And I already told you that. You remember that lunch when he brought me over to your table?" Chad nodded to show he remembered, then moved on to the next question which threw her off guard. She had expected something like that, but not that he'd asked her so bluntly. "Do you have something going on with Troy?" She blinked a few times and tried to swallow her shock. Did she have something going on with Troy? Where did he pick up that one? She had thought that nobody had noticed their liaison and if she was honest, she hadn't thought that Chad would be that perspective.

Her face grew hot as she processed the fact that Troy's best friend had just asked her if something was going on between them. Stumbling over her own words and desperately trying to find an out without putting his nose out of joint, she stammered: "Chad, really. Me and Troy Bolton? In which universe do you live?" She looked up at him from under her eyelashes, hoping that he didn't pick up on her nervousness. No such luck. "Oh, Gabriella, really. A blind man could see that he's been acting way off line lately and by the way you act whenever he enters the room, it's obvious there's something going on. I don't think it's a relationship, I know Troy, but there's something off about him. And it's gotta have to do with you."

What did you say to something like that? It was obvious he knew, but there was no telling if he was mad about it. Getting defensive, Gabriella took a step backwards, and bit her lip. "It's not what you think, Chad. It's just … just that …" She stopped short and took a deep breath. "It doesn't matter anyways. It's over and done." Chad took in her state of mind and smiled softly at her. "I don't have a problem with the fact that there's something going on." Gabriella was about to launch into protesting, as he cut her off: "And I know there is, Gabriella. It's not as over and done as you perceive it to be. If it was, I wouldn't even have noticed. Because Troy doesn't act out off line. Never. It's just not his thing. So why do it now, when there's nothing going on? He sees something in you, Gabs. And I think you're good for him."

The whole thing was getting more and more confusing. Chad thought that Troy saw something in her? That didn't make sense; he wouldn't have dumped her if it was that way. And he really was of the opinion that she would be good for his best friend? What about their totally different social statues? She got that he wasn't mean, but he still belonged to them. Didn't he care about that? "You're unbelievable, you know that? First you come talking to me, although jocks like you normally don't pay any attention to someone like me, and then you even tell me I'd be the right girl for Troy Bolton, king of East High? Right, Chad, nice one."

She didn't let any of her hesitation show on the outside, but he caught onto it anyways. "Social statues are overrated, I think. It's time somebody did something about it around here."

And with that he sent her one last smile, turned around and headed to wherever his friends were waiting for him, leaving Gabriella behind, thinking about what he had just let on. The day had just become a lot more complicated.

**  
I need no permission, did I mention  
Don't pay him any attention  
Cuz you had your turn  
But now you****'re gonna learn  
What it really feels to miss me**

It had been three days since that mysterious talk with Chad and Gabriella had decided to forget about it. So what if Chad thought that there still was something there. She knew there wasn't and Troy obviously was of the same opinion. So why hang onto those thoughts? The pain about Troy had dulled; it didn't hurt as much anymore. She knew that she wasn't completely over him, but she was sure that time would heal the wounds. In a way, she definitely was in a healthier place than she had been for weeks. She was ready for this. Ready to start over. And she had her friends helping her with that.

Two hours after she had finally made up her mind and left the place where Chad had left her behind, she had run into Aaron who had introduced her to a few of his friends, all of whom were boys. Sharpay and Taylor had been delighted to get to know some of the male species who weren't into drama or school all too much and Gabriella herself had found that they all were a lot of fun to hang out with. She wasn't ready to date yet – and she heavily doubted that would change anytime soon -, but it couldn't hurt to inspect the menu. And most of the boys Aaron was friends with had girlfriends anyways, so it wasn't that much of a struggle to keep them of her back. But there were a few of them that somehow didn't seem to get the hint, constantly flirting with her or the other two girls.

She was living her life again and nothing could keep her from being happy and carefree. Almost nothing. Despite the fact that she was trying to ignore Troy as much as possible, she couldn't help that sometimes she couldn't keep her eyes off of him. And sometimes she couldn't help but notice that he was glaring in her direction. She could be mistaken, but still she couldn't shake the image out of her head that he didn't like seeing her with other boys. Shaking her head, she came to the conclusion to not care anymore. It was unlikely anyways. And even if he was down on it, he shouldn't care. He had never cared anyways, so why start now?

Sitting at her now usual lunch table together with Aaron and a few other basketball players, she was talking to Brandon Wallmeyer, a tall and dark-haired boy, as a movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention. Tentatively turning her head in the direction of the motion, she saw Troy monitoring the interaction between her and Brandon with watchful eyes. As her eyes crossed his, her breath got caught in her throat. Even from the distance that lay between them, she could see that his eyes were icy and her heart ached. Swallowing hard, she turned her attention back to Brandon who was trying to ask her something. "Gabriella? Somewhere in there?" He waved his hand in front her face and she gave him a cautious smile.

She knew that Brandon was trying to get her out of her self-induced shell and to get her to date him, but she didn't even like him that much. "I'm sorry, what did you say?" Brandon watched her for a moment and then a grin spread across his face. "Well, I'd rather show you if you don't mind." Gabriella looked at him questioningly. What was he talking about? She didn't answer, instead waited for him to take action. And that he did. Scooting closer to her, he leant down and Gabriella began to panic. He was going to kiss her. Here. In front of the whole school, in front of her friends, in front of Troy. She froze.

Watching him come closer and closer, her mind was racing to find a way out of this mess. But there was no out if she didn't want to hurt Brandon both physically and emotionally. "Quit it, Wallmeyer." The voice was quiet, yet it sounded lethal. And it made Gabriella's heart leap in her chest. He was here. And he had saved her. Theoretically speaking. All heads at the table had turned to him when he had spoken up and Brandon looked up from his position with an annoyed scowl on her face. "I'm kind of busy here, Troy." The look the blue-eyed boy casted him could have fried fish without difficulties. "So what? You think I care about any business you've got going on? With Montez here nonetheless?"

Her heart that had galloped only a second ago stopped short in her chest. Of course. Of course he hadn't come over to save her, he didn't care about her. She should already get the message. But then what was the reason he was here. She was about to get her answer. "I've just set a basketball practice for this free period. And I expect all of you to be there, no matter what business you'd like to continue." The comment clearly was designed for Brandon and the anger in Gabriella's eyes flared up. What the hell was he thinking he was doing? Troy, however, didn't give her the time to explode on him, because he was already gone. And a tiny bit of Gabriella's mind was still grateful for him, because Brandon made no other move to kiss her. At least that problem was solved.

Five hours later school finished off and Gabriella made her way out of school. Her car had broken down again – she really should think about buying a new one instead of always letting the old one be repaired - and she had to walk home, but the weather was sunny, so it was no big deal. Bidding Aaron, Taylor and Sharpay good-bye, she left the school grounds, turning the corner and stopping dead in her tracks. Troy was standing right there. And he seemed to be waiting for her. "Montez.", he acknowledged her with a nod of his head, his voice being neither warm nor cold.

Her mind was reeling. Why couldn't he just stay away? Why did he have to always be there? And why did he have to talk to her? She closed her eyes shortly, picking up her walking again. "Go away, Bolton. I don't want to talk to you." She tried to find a way around him, but he was standing in her way, moving when she moved. Eventually she gave up and stood still. "What do you want, Bolton? You've got no business with me.", she said, choosing her wording carefully. She watched a flicker of recognition cross his face. But her sassiness didn't keep him from retorting. "Well, maybe I have." His voice had taken on a tone of lazy desire and longing.

Gabriella felt her insides turning to mush and her breathing picking up a faster rhythm. Quickly she shook her head, determined not to let him get to her. "I want nothing to do with you, Bolton." _Lie, _her heart told her, while her mind was trying to convince her of the truth of that statement. It was too bad, though, that Troy didn't buy it. "Really?", he drawled slowly, a seductive smile playing on his lips. _Oh God, what is he doing?_ Her mind was screaming at her to run away, to get away from him while she still could, but something held her where she was. He took a few steps forward to lessen the distance between them. "Well, I'll tell you what. I don't think so."

His voice had taken on a slight cockiness and it was that what hauled Gabriella out of her state of dizziness. Bracing herself for the contact, she began to walk again, not fully counting on Troy to give way. And she was right. Not even relenting an inch, he simply continued looking at her as she tried getting around him. She was only centimetres away from him, already scooping up some hope that he'd let her go without putting up a fight, when he finally decided to do something about her moving. One quick motion and he had her by her arms, fire erupting at the spots he was touching and quickly spreading through her entire body. She stumbled into his body and he held her there, not willing to let her get further away from him.

Taking in the smell that always lingered around him, Gabriella's mind shut down for a moment, relishing the fact that he was holding her once again. Then she began to struggle. "Let go of me, Bolton." Her voice didn't sound as strong as she would have preferred and Troy didn't even budge. "Only if you promise to listen to me." Her mind was in serious danger of forgetting every reason why she was mad at him and so she unwillingly nodded her head. He gave her free and she quickly back-tracked, her back hitting the wall. She fought the urge to moan in pain. The last thing she wanted to do was to give Troy the satisfaction.

Trying to get her breathing back on track, she waited for Troy to start talking, but he didn't open his mouth. Instead he kept regarding her, his eyes smouldering and dazzling her. "What do you want?" She was getting confused and she knew she was going to go crazy if he didn't start saying anything soon. This time his reply was simple and quick: "I want you." Three words. Three short words sent her entire world spinning. But not this time. She wouldn't give into him. She already had once and she knew how it would end. There was no way he was going to gain control over her again. Building up her courage, she let a sigh escape her mouth and then straightened up.

"Don't play these games with my mind. You really are wasting your time doing it, because you had your shot and you chose to let me go. So it's me calling the shots in my life this time, Bolton." Her eyes shone with so much confidence that it made him unable to form words for a moment. By the way he opened and closed his mouth without getting anything out, it was obvious that he didn't know what to say. Gabriella prayed to heaven that he'd let it rest in peace and regarded his eyes carefully. She had learnt long ago that Troy didn't give his feelings away on his face. That would be like wearing it on a sleeve and he wasn't the type for that. But he had never been able to completely control his eyes, even if it seemed like that most of the time.

But this time there was nothing but his feelings. No barrier, no guard, only plain and simple emotions. Maybe not simple. Watching them swirl around in his eyes, trying to decode what they meant, she nearly missed out on the one that was clearly winning. It was determination. The second she recognized it, she could feel her entire body tense up. Her mind signalled danger, but it was too late anyways. One step and he stood directly in front of her, nothing left between them, so she could feel his front directly pressed against her. His hands sneaked around her waist and held her in place, her arms instinctively reaching up to wind themselves around his neck.

Glancing up into his eyes, she tried to remember why she had been set on avoiding a situation like this, but her mind went blank. The storm in his eyes made her surrender and she sank into him. His lips came crashing down on hers with force and it was like their first kiss all over again. Desire raced through her veins, while he devoured her lips hungrily, his hand moving up to thread through her hair. His tongue ran across her bottom lip and she tilted her head to give him better access. The hand that had been lying on her waist started moving up and down her side, as he pressed her into the wall, eliciting a low moan from her.

As their tongues got caught up in a battle for dominance, Gabriella couldn't help but feel the heat spreading through her entire body. She wanted this, she wanted him and she didn't think she'd ever want to let him go. His hand stopped his roaming and went straight to her leg, hitching it up, so that she was clutching his waistline while he was supporting her weight by pressing her in the wall even more. Eventually the need for oxygen became too much. Troy began to pull away and Gabriella whimpered at the loss of his lips on hers. Not for long, though, as she felt his lips move to her jawbone and down her neck.

The urgency he was conveying was hard to miss and she couldn't stop the feeling of lust mixed with something she couldn't quite label surging through her. The hot, open-mouthed kisses that he peppered on her skin were making her feel dizzy and she clung to him even heavier than before. Finally he was coming up to claim her mouth again, stormy and heated with just the right amount of pressure behind it. She could feel herself melting into him and her body curved around his, as he suddenly pulled back. She met his gaze with half-closed eyes and reality began to sink in.

Oh God. She had lost her senses. Or, at the very least, definitely her common sense. Why the hell had she let it come to this? Why had she let him go so far? And the most important question was: Why had he done this? She was lost, having taken the wrong route long ago, and there was no sign to show her back to the right track. Looking up at him, her confusion shining right through her eyes, she slid back down his body and had to search for support on the wall, because the kiss had left her legs wobbly and the rest of her body extremely unsteady. As she starred at him, she felt emotions rise again which she had thought dead in the last days. Suddenly it all was back again, her anger, her sadness, her love. And she knew the instant their eyes locked that she would get hurt again. She closed her eyes and slumped against the wall, feeling his hand caressing her cheek one last time. And then she heard the footsteps she had known were inevitably coming. He was leaving her again. Sliding down the rest of the wall, she pulled her legs up to her torso and let her head fall down onto them, covering it with her hands. The tears began to fall and her petite body was trembling with sobs.

**Cuz if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it  
If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it  
Don't be mad once you see that he want it  
If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it**

**Cuz if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it  
If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it  
Don't be mad once you see that he want it  
If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it**

She couldn't see the light. There only was a big, black tunnel around her and she had gotten lost in it long ago. The length of the tunnel was unknown to her and she didn't know if she was walking in the right direction. Why now? Why at all? She didn't know and she doubted that he knew. Why was he treating her this way? The confusion and unanswered questions were threatening to drown her. There was just no motive for Troy to act this way. Starting things off, then breaking them again. Bullying her, then falling into a lapse of action while completely ignoring her. Starting to pay attention to what she did and then kissing her like that. It didn't make sense. And Gabriella Montez wasn't very good at dealing with things that didn't have a pattern, a reason behind it.

Of course there was the absolutely surreal idea that he could be jealous. She had hung out with a lot of different boys lately, but he couldn't actually be, could he? There was no reason for him. Shaking her head, she discarded the idea. If he liked her that much, he wouldn't have treated her like he had done. He wouldn't have dumped her in first place; after all he had had her. He had had her at his feet and he had walked over her. If he had cared, he would have picked her up. So what then? What was his reason? There had to be one, there just had to. Because there was one thing that Gabriella Montez was sure about. That kiss had thrown everything over board that she had tried to build up. The feelings were back and the pain was back. And if there wasn't a plausible reason for that, then there would be hell to pay. And she'd make him pay for putting her through the whole thing over again.

**Don't treat me like things of this world  
I'm not that kind of girl  
****your love is what I prefer, what I deserve  
**

In one quick motion she was up on her feet and wiped the tears from her face. Better not show him that much. Then she looked around. There was no indication where he might have gone, but she had a good speculation. Picking up the bag that she had let go off as he had started kissing her, she turned around and went the other way instead of the one she had originally planned to take. About one and half a mile later, she turned into a small path leading to a park with a small-sized clearing in-between some broad-leaved trees. And sure enough there he was, supine on a rock and starring up into the sky.

With determined strokes she had crossed the clearance in no time. Picking up his head to star in the directions the steps came from, he caught side of her and quickly sat up, a mix of annoyance, confusion and pain written on his face. Her face openly showed her outrage and he speedily slid down the rock, coming to a still stand in front of her. Her hands made contact with his stone chest and she pushed him forcefully backwards, so that he stumbled against the rock. Pocking her finger into his chest, she started yelling. "How _dare_ you! How dare you kiss me?!" She was sure that her face was beat-red by now, but she simply didn't care. Her anger had continued building up all the way down here and she was going to let it out.

"I was so good at finally getting over you! And then you just _have_ to go and reverse it all just by kissing me _once_! God, what do you think you are doing? You're playing with my feelings and _you just don't care_! You treat me like a possession to be discarded whenever you're bored with me and then you suddenly decide that I'm good enough again to be picked up! But you can't treat me like this, Troy. I have feelings, you know?" She was getting quieter and quieter, tears flowing freely over her face. Hiccupping, she looked up at him, but there was no reaction whatsoever. Damn it, why couldn't he just say something?

The feeling of helplessness and vulnerability was overwhelming her and it rekindled the anger inside of her. Letting go of her control once and for all, she pounded her fists into chest, over and over again to let him feel just a fraction of the pain she was currently experiencing. And he finally did something. Pulling her to him, he pressed her fists down and slammed her against his own body, holding her to him until she stopped struggling and started crying in earnest. She didn't care that she was showing him all of her right now, since it was too late anyways for concealing her feeling. The tears were running down her face and dropped onto his shirt, leaving stains on it. And he didn't let go.

Her head dropped onto his shoulder, her small body shuttering with sobs, and her cries were heart-breaking. She felt the muscular arms around her tighten their grip even more and she couldn't help but cling onto him. It was wrong, wrong in so many ways that they were uncountable, but it felt right. It felt right to be here with him, although he had made her hurt in the first place. Trying to gain her breath back, the tears subsided after a good five minutes, leaving her to regain her rational thinking. Alright, this was bad. Really, really bad. Faster than lightning she was out of his arms and within a reasonable distance. Oh God. This wasn't happening.

But it really was and Troy was right there, watching her with carefully guarded eyes, not knowing if her anger would break out again, now that she had gotten her tears out of her system. She wiped her tears, avoiding meeting his gaze. Her insides were already clenching enough; she didn't need to see the resentment she was sure about in his eyes. What was she thinking, breaking down in front of him? Drawing a deep breath, she steadied herself and her voice. It was time to gloss over the mistake she had just committed. She wanted him to forget what he had just seen and for that she needed to continue with telling him to stop whatever he was doing.

"I'm not that kind of girl, Troy. You can't go around treating me like this." Her voice was quiet, but confident. "You're messing me up." It was the truth. Nothing but the truth and she realized it the moment the words flowed over her lips. He did it constantly. And she needed it to stop. Because she already had pieces of her life lying at her feet that she needed to pick up. It was going to be hard enough without him damaging her even more. And he needed to understand that. "I have feelings for you, Troy. But I need to get over them, because you don't fell the same and you never will. This isn't just a game for me, so you've got to stop playing it. You need to stop messing me up."

She didn't see it coming, but the impact he made as he slammed his fist into the rock beside him was enough to make her jump in fright. Her eyes flew up to his and she was met with a widespread range of emotion. She had thought he would be angry at her confession and he was, but it obviously wasn't all that he was feeling. His eyes openly displayed his own hurt and – much to her surprise – confusion. Troy Bolton was confused. And then he began to talk. "You think it's _me _messing _you _up? Try it the other way around, Gabriella." The other way around? What was he talking about? Perplexed, she looked him straight in the eyes, searching for an explanation. And, for the first time ever, Troy Bolton explained.

"You don't know what this means for me, Gabriella. For nearly four years, four damn years, there was nothing else but anger, amusement or boredom there. Nothing. And it was fine that way. I liked it, it meant being in control of what I felt and what I could do to others. And then you came. I thought you'd be nothing more than another distraction, but you proved to be different. And it hit me. I walked away, you know. As soon as I was sure where I was headed, I broke things off. And I thought that was all it would take to get back on track. But I was wrong. It's hard seeing you with some other boy and knowing that they make you happy. It's harder than it should be, because it goes against the grain. I'm not supposed to be like this, I'm not supposed to feel like this."

His hand went up to his forehead and he clutched it. "I don't even know what it is that I feel. You're driving my control and I hate it. You've made me feel, Gabriella, and I don't like it. It gives you power over me and it means me loosing control." His eyes were closed and his breathing was uneven, when he continued. "And I can't allow that. But for some reason I can't get away from you. I've tried, hell yeah, I've tried. I found it's impossible. But I'm not ready to give up yet. Because if I do, it means betraying everything I've ever believed in these last four years."

**  
Pull m****e into your arms  
Say I'm no one you own  
If you don't, you'll be alone  
And like a ghost, I'll be gone**

All at once it was dead-quiet. For the first time in the entire existence of the universe, there was somebody that was completely able to see Troy Bolton clearly. Not Troy Bolton, the player and king of East High. Not Troy Bolton, the boy who had every girl at his beck and call. But Troy Bolton, the lonely boy lost in the vicissitudes of life and trying to survive the social game of cat and mouse called high school. Gabriella Montez could see him. She could see him because he had finally opened up to someone and he had never been more vulnerable. And Gabriella Montez didn't know what to do.

His eyes seemed to plead with her to tell him what to do, but she couldn't. She couldn't help him with this; it was something that he needed to do on his own. Her heart was aching at the thought of leaving him to fight this alone, but there was no other choice. She could give him a few pointers, but it would be a long way until he could ever change the paths he had treaded. Her eyes started watering, but she fought back the tears, concentrating on the matter at hand. When she spoke, her voice was calm and collected, quiet but unwavering.

"You need to learn that you're not the only one that matters, Troy. Otherwise, people will be gone just like that. If you don't change how you treat others beside you, there'll be nobody left. Sure, you've got the girls swarming your feet and the boys looking up to you, but they aren't your real friends." Casting one last long look at him, she turned on her heel and walked away, leaving Troy to consider what she had just told him.

**- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **

It was official. He, Troy Bolton, was going crazy. He had thought he'd be okay. He had thought everything would go back to what it had been like if he just dumped Gabriella and ignored her for the rest of the school year. And for the first time in his entire life he had been wrong. It wasn't the only first he had had to experience ever since he had hooked up with the beautiful brunette on that first evening at Baylor's house, but it was the most severe. He had never been wrong. About anything. Because he usually could control it all. So why was this slipping out from under his control? Why was he reacting so fierce to her?

He didn't know. All that he knew was that she was different. Different from any other female he had ever had to handle. And he wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing. Most girls would have stayed away from him if he had strung them along for so long and then dumped them. And he had counted on her to do the same. But then he had found out that it was him that couldn't stay away. And he had begun to fight the pull that was drawing him into her. By bullying her. He clenched his eyes shut as he thought about the short episode when he had hurt her in public, over and over again. His heart hurt, as he remembered the look and the tears in her eyes that he had out there. He really was an asshole and he had known it, but still he had continued.

And then she had turned the tables on him. He wasn't sure how exactly she had become friends with Aaron McCarty, but he envied him. Sure, Aaron was one of the popular jocks in high school, but he somehow had still managed to hold on to his real self. And that was something that Troy Bolton admired. Because he himself had failed to do so. And he had realized that it had been the reason for him to loose her the exact moment Aaron had brought her over to their lunch table. As soon as he had set eyes on them, he holding her hand and pulling her with him, his blood had begun to boil. He didn't even know why, but there had been a surge of possessiveness coursing through him. And he had wanted to hit Aaron. Hard.

And then there she had been, sitting right across the table. And he hadn't been able to help it; he had starred at her. With a flash of pain he remembered that she had squirmed uncomfortably. She wasn't feeling at ease in his presence. And it had stung him that she had automatically gravitated towards Aaron. There had been undeniable hurt coursing through his vain and his mind had registered with great dislike for himself that he had been right all along. She really was a social climber. What other explanation was there than that? He had dumped her and a week later she already was lining up for the next jock. Aaron seemed to be already smitten with her. The pain had been overwhelming and he had acted on it. Instinctively and without thinking it through. And it had hit her. The satisfaction he had conceived, though, hadn't been able to make up for the ache he had exposed himself to.

He had talked to her. The surprise had been evidently there; she had never been good at concealing what she thought. Her eyes were always giving away every single detail of her emotional condition. And then she had turned sassy. Relationally disturbed? What the hell? The reactions at the table had been mirroring his own and for a moment he had been speechless. Then he had felt the anger, mixed with incredulity and even a small part of humiliation. She perceived him as relationally disturbed. Great. And then his anger had gotten the better of him. Eyes flashing dangerously at her, he had reminded her of what he could do and he had beaten her once again.

And then Aaron had stood up for her. The feeling that had expanded in Troy's body had indisputably been anger. White spots had appeared before his eyes and he had seen red. It didn't help that he had lost the starring contest and had had to throw in his hand. Usually, something like that would have made him go at Gabriella even more, if – and that seemed to be the ruling problem – she had been like any other girl he had ever paid attention to. So, instead of keeping bullying her, something inside of him had preserved him from doing so. There was a part of him that was set against hurting her. And so he had begun ignoring her, avoiding her even, the best he could at least.

Until he had made his appearance at a party after a basketball game against East High, that was. She had been there and it had caught him off guard. The walls he usually had up around her had been loosened up. Their eyes had met and something had stirred inside of him. If he didn't know any better, he would have guessed that it was jealousy, but that couldn't be. There was nothing to be jealous of; he didn't feel anything for Gabriella. But then why the hell did he want it to be him she was smiling at? Why did he want to be the one to make her laugh? Unable to help himself, he glowered at Aaron, his body revolting in shock as he could only watch as they stepped their dancing up.

He wasn't exactly sure, but he wasn't able to fend off the assumption that she was trying to provoke him. Well, if she was, then it sure was working. He had been seconds away from storming over to them and ripping Gabriella away from Aaron, but luckily his friends had come to stand by him just in time. They had saved him from making a fool out of himself. But still he had continued watching the pair on the dance floor. And they had noticed him. But Gabriella hadn't even flinched; instead she had carried on having fun. And he had resented Aaron more than ever for showing Gabriella a good time.

And then the music had stopped and she had left the dance floor, clearly heading for the bar. The need to talk to her had become overpowering and his eyes had been trained on the brunette making her way through the crowd. It was then that he had felt Aaron's eyes on him. Easing up his look, Troy had nodded at the message Aaron had conveyed. _Hurt her, and you'll have to answer to me. _It had confused him. Did Aaron know what he was about to do? Had he even suspected it? Then why had he let Gabriella go alone? Shouldn't he be standing between them instead of giving way? Or wasn't it like that between the two of them? He needed to know. And the simplest way was to just ask.

Abandoning his friends, he pushed through the crowd, stopping behind Gabriella. She hadn't heard him coming; he could see the astonishment in her eyes. Neither of them had said something, until she had finally asked him what he wanted. Calling him by his last name. He had nearly chuckled; instead a smirk had made its way upon his face. Lessening the space between them, he had called her out on it, and she had reacted to his proximity. So she wasn't as cold-feeling towards him as she would like to have him believe. Craving the contact between them, he had brushed along her arm. And she hadn't liked it, chastising him verbally.

It had made him feel cold and he had reacted, demanding what she was doing with Aaron. But she hadn't wanted to give in this time, instead talking back at him. Ironically liking the spirit she was showing, he had overruled the thought of kissing her the same second and had put her in her place. And she had asked him to go away. The sadness that had been swarming his body and the guilt he had experienced at her tormented expression hadn't done the trick. He had been on a mission and he had wanted his answer. He shouldn't have insisted on it, he really shouldn't have. Because she had told him. She had told him a lot more than he had ever wanted to hear about himself.

He could have ignored that, but then she had opened up to him. Why was she always doing that? She should have learned by now that it wasn't doing her any good, that he could hurt her even more if he knew about her feelings. He had learned that lesson long ago and he had never forgotten about it. Displaying your feeling made you vulnerable and that was nothing Troy Bolton desired. But Gabriella tended to evoke feelings in him that wanted to be let out. And he couldn't allow that. Growing cold again, he hadn't known what to answer her, but apparently she had picked up on his changing mood. And she had carried on telling him. She had told him to his face that he didn't care about her. It wouldn't have mattered if he really didn't. But that was exactly the problem. He did. He just didn't want to.

Feelings he hadn't experienced in so long had been threatening to break out of the bond he held them in and he couldn't stay any longer. He had run. It was what he always did, but he didn't care. He had had to get away from her, as far away from her as possible. And he had promised himself to never let himself get that close to her again. But he hadn't been able to keep his promise. His fist clenched in fury as he recalled the lunch that had changed it all. Brandon Wallmeyer, that jerk. It had already been bad enough that she had started hanging out with some of Aaron's friends, but for him to try and kiss her… god no. He had intervened, just at the right moment.

The relief he had felt as he had seen the gratitude on Gabriella's face had been exhilarating, but he had kept his control. Carefully guarded, he had set a basketball practice as his excuse for coming over and interrupting them. But he hadn't been able to shake the longing that had started to build inside of him out of his system. He had needed to have her. And this time he had acted on it. Maybe another kiss would help. Maybe that was the whole reason he was still feeling captured by her. Maybe one kiss would reverse it all and he'd finally be free of her. That was what he had thought. And he had done it.

He had waited for her after school and taken her by surprise once more. Surprise. It seemed to be the most present feeling in their interactions. And she had rejected him once more, but he was used to it by now. The desire he held for her had been nearly painful and he had started to seduce her. She had been trying to fight it, that had been clear, but on the other hand, she hadn't been successful. And so she had tried to run away. What a change. But he hadn't let her. So she had pleaded with him. And it had sent him spiralling out of control. She had told him she was done playing games. But then again, so was he.

Determination had won out. He had watched her tense up, but it had been too late anyways. Taking one step, he had been right there, her body pressed against his. His hands had sneaked around her waist and had held her in place, her arms instinctively reaching up to wind themselves around his neck. Something inside him had moaned with satisfaction. This was exactly how it should be. The look in her eyes had only fuelled his hunger for her and he hadn't been able to prolong it any longer. His lips had come crashing down on hers with force and it had been like their first kiss all over again. Yearning had raced through his veins, while he had devoured her lips hungrily, his hand moving up to thread through her hair. His tongue had run across her bottom lip and she had tilted her head to give him better access.

The hand that had been lying on her waist had started moving up and down her side, as he had pressed her into the wall, eliciting a low moan from her. The feeling of sweet victory had been scorching inside him and he had never wanted to let her go again. He had wanted it, he had wanted her. Their tongues had got caught up in a battle for dominance and his hand had stopped his roaming and gone straight to her leg, hitching it up, so that she had been clutching his waistline while he had been supporting her weight by pressing her in the wall even more. The feeling of her against him like that had been amazing.

Eventually the need for oxygen had become too much. He had pulled away and the fact that Gabriella had actually whimpered at the loss of his lips on hers had sent him right up to cloud nine. Not ready to end this sweet moment of heaven yet, his lips had moved to her jaw line and down her neck, tasting the sweetness of her skin. Finally he had come up to claim her mouth again and she returned his kiss stormy and heated with just the right amount of pressure behind it. Her body had curved around his – and he had found himself back in reality. Pulling away, his gaze had met her half-closed eyes and he had seen the confusion setting in.

She had slid down his body and he had had to hold himself in check, otherwise he'd have assaulted her again. He had watched her slump against the wall and her facial expression had told him that she had known what had been coming all along. Painfully slow his hand had lifted itself up to caress her cheek and the moment he had made contact with her he had realized something. She knew him. The cognisance had hit him so hard that he almost had stumbled backwards. Casting one last, longing-filled look at her, he walked away, his mind heavy. The kiss hadn't made her less attracting; it had made him yearn for her even more. His hands had balled up to fists, as he had heard the sobbing coming from behind his back. He had been able to picture her in his head fairly clearly: Curled up into a ball to protect herself from pain, tears forming in her amazing brown eyes and falling down her beautiful face, her small body trembling. He had hurt her once again and for that he despised himself. Automatically, his feet had picked up a faster rhythm.

He hadn't paid any attention to where he had been going, but his feet had led him instinctively to the perfect place to think. The chosen path led to a park with a small-sized clearing. There were lots of rocks and he had come here whenever he had needed to sort out some things with himself ever since he had been a small child. Quickly sizing up the rocks, he had chosen the biggest of them at the other end of the clearing and had climbed up, making himself comfortable, lying on his back and starring up into the sky. And so he had ended up where he was now, desperately trying to find a way out of this mess he had gotten himself into.

**The day a door is closed  
****the echoes fill your soul  
they won't say which way to go  
Just trust your heart  
**

So now he was left to remember. Remember what he had had, knowing that he'd probably never have it again. Suddenly he seriously thought about hitting himself. What the heck was his problem? He didn't – couldn't – care about her, so he shouldn't be having these thoughts. He had dumped her and she had told him more than once that she wanted nothing to do with him. It didn't matter that he didn't particularly believe her – in a way she was in a healthier place than he was. Because she, at least, was trying. So why? Why was he beating himself up over her? Over and over again? _Because she's something special, _the rational part of his mind argued with him. _And you want her back. _God, this was really driving him crazy.

There was no denying that the days with Gabriella had been different. Different from the ones he had had before her – less boring, less monotonous, much more fun. And he – as the idiot he was – had let her go. It hit him like lightning: He had probably destroyed the best thing that had ever happened to him in an attempt to save what he had built up in four years now. And now he needed to decide what was more important. Groaning, he buried his head in his hands. She was messing him up. Definitely. She was taking away his control, but he needed it. He couldn't allow her to do that. So what now? With extreme anxiety he remembered what his mother had always told him. _You need to listen to your heart, Troy_, she had said. There was only one problem. He had blocked his heart out for so long that he didn't know how to listen to it anymore.

**  
To find ****what you're here for  
Open another door  
But I'm not sure anymore  
It's just so hard  
Voices in my head  
Tell me they know best  
Got me on the edge  
they're pushin', pushin',  
they're pushin'**

He had always been so sure that there was nothing that he wanted more than the popularity that he had gained relatively quickly by making a spot on the varsity basketball team as a Sophomore, the youngest player for over fifty years in the school's history. His good looks had helped, too, and so he had quickly become the player East High knew him as. He had gained friends with no assistance by himself and until now he hadn't even questioned it. Why would he? It only served to his advantage. Sure, he hadn't found anyone to really rely on, but for that he had Chad. There was no reason to be friendly to anyone, because they always came back, no matter what.

He couldn't deny that he had looked down to them for that and that he sometimes had wished for them to stop treating him as superior to them, but he had learned fast that that wasn't the best thing to tell them. His 'friends' hadn't wasted any time by introducing him to the rules high school went by and he had picked them up. And had stopped being himself. Genuine feelings made him vulnerable and so he had taken to conceal them carefully, making coldness, anger, boredom and amusement to the only ones to shine through. His playing with girls had ensured his position on the top step of the social ladder and he had been admired for his playboy behaviour.

He snorted involuntarily, as he recalled an incident that had happened only days ago. Tiara Miller, best known as the easiest girl at East High and West High together, had come up to him, her skirt so short he had had to deliberate if it really was a skirt or just a broad belt. It was times like these that he really regretted East High not having any dress code. For a short moment he had considered turning away, before she could start talking rubbish, but then he had noticed Gabriella and Aaron standing in front of her locker, laughing and joking around. Angrily he had turned in Tiara's direction, a coldly-amused grin on his face. "Troy, darling!" He had had to keep himself from rolling his eyes. Her high-pitched voice really was annoying. The only reason he had ever put up with her before was that her body wasn't the worst.

She had cuddled herself into his side, snuggling closer to him. He had only kept from puking, because he had been sure she'd make him pay the bill for the cleaning. Her finger had danced across his chest and she had purred: "Honey, what's up with you? You've changed." Her tone had been accusing and it had taken all his restraint not to yell at her. What did she mean? He hadn't changed; he just hadn't called her up for a little bit of 'fun' in a long time. He hadn't answered, barely cocking his eyebrows. "We could change that, you know? You could come to my house this afternoon and we could… get you right back on track, release all the stress you seem to be under." He hadn't even considered the offer, his stomach turning at the cheap chat-up she had been trying. All he had been able to think about was that Gabriella would never sink that low.

"Tiara, piss off. I'm really not in the mood for any of this. And you really should think this over. Your appearance is annoying and girls like you really should set a line, concerning what you can still pull off without coming across as cheap as you do now." His tone had been angry and cold and it had frightened her. But not for long. The rejection getting through to her, she had shaken her head in irritation. "Gosh, Troy. Since when do you care about that? I don't know what's wrong with you, but you better get back to who you really are. Otherwise there's no telling if you can still obtain your status as golden boy." She had left after that, sensing that he had been at the point of seriously hurting her.

Recalling the memory with a shudder, something inside him told him that it was ridiculous. He had acted out his part as the bad boy for so long that he didn't even know who he was anymore. So why should they know? They didn't know a single thing about the real him, so it was pointless telling him to change back to who he _really _was. They had never gotten to see the real Troy Bolton and they never would. He'd make sure that it never happened.

**  
I know they****'ve got a plan  
But the ball's in my hands  
This time it's man-to-man,  
I'm driving, fighting inside  
A world that's upside down  
And spinning faster  
What do I do now - Without you?  
**

He was ripped out of his thoughts, as he heard quick footsteps approaching him. Wondering who else knew about this place besides him, he picked up his head, starring in the directions the noise came from. The pain he had repressed while thinking about the situation at hand came back the instant he caught sight of the petite brunette running towards him. Why the hell was she here? His heart picked up its beating. Quickly he sat up and slid down the rock, seeing the outrage displayed on her face. And for the second time in his life Troy Bolton was scared. She positively looked as if she was ready to tear him apart limb by limb. The moment his feet made contact with the ground, she was standing in front of him, pushing him against the rock.

Surprised he gained his balance back, as she poked her finger into his chest and started yelling so loudly that his ears hurt. "How _dare_ you! How dare you kiss me?!" Her face was beat-red, but she had never looked more beautiful. But somehow he got the impression that it would be a bad thing to tell her that right now. "I was so good at finally getting over you! And then you just _have_ to go and reverse it all just by kissing me _once_! God, what do you think you are doing? You're playing with my feelings and _you just don't care_! You treat me like a possession to be discarded whenever you're bored with me and then you suddenly decide that I'm good enough again to be picked up! But you can't treat me like this, Troy. I have feelings, you know?" She was getting quieter and quieter, tears flowing freely over her face.

Hiccupping, she looked up at him, but he couldn't react, stunned into silence. She had been trying to get over him. No surprise there, it would have been better for her anyways. But it still had stung to hear it. So she was no social climber. She loved him, had loved him, whatever it was she was feeling for him now. She had told him all of this, had told him so long ago and it only now began to sank in. He really was the biggest idiot Earth had ever seen. It was the only reason he didn't even try to shield himself as she started pounding her fists into his chest. Tears began to flow down her face and his heart broke. She was letting herself go, she was letting herself be vulnerable in front of him. He wished he could do the same.

Pulling her to him and slamming her against his stone-hard body, he prohibited the physical assault she was putting him under and locked her in an embrace that had her stop fighting against him. And then her tears began to flow in earnest and he tightened his grip on her. And he held her there, held her, because he felt that it was exactly what she needed. And for the first time since he had started all of this, he was going to give her what she needed. She clung onto him and her sobs broke his heart. But the feeling of her in his arms was overruling the pain. It felt so right, so right to have her right here – where she belonged.

The thought shocked him for a moment and he loosened his grip on her shortly – in exact the moment she had decided to rip free from him. Like a prey absconding from its predator she was out of his reach and far away from him, looking at him as if he was the devil in the flesh. And maybe he was, he mused, as he watched her with carefully guarded eyes, not knowing if her anger would break out again, now that she had gotten her tears out of the system. He watched as she wiped away her tears, longing to do it himself, but knowing that it would only make everything worse. She was avoiding his gaze, but he could practically feel the resentment against him seeping out of her every pore.

His heart throbbed, as he recalled that she had every reason to hate him. And her next words seemed to confirm his worst nightmare. "I'm not that kind of girl, Troy. You can't go around treating me like this." Her voice was quiet, but confident. "You're messing me up." The words hit him like he was absorbing blows. She was of the opinion that he was messing her up. And what did she think she was doing to him? Disbelief and hurt mixed together and he couldn't help but get angry again. Her next words were doing nothing to calm him down. "I have feelings for you, Troy. But I need to get over them, because you don't feel the same and you never will. This isn't just a game for me, so you've got to stop playing it. You need to stop messing me up."

He knew it was wrong for him to be angry at her for telling him this, because he knew that she was right. But still he couldn't help but feel irritated. She wasn't the only one suffering in this, couldn't she see that? Who said it was just a game for him? Overwhelmed by his feelings, he searched for something to let it out on. And he found it in the shape of the rock beside him. The impact he made as he slammed his fist into it made her jump in fright and he instantly regretted scaring her. But she needed to understand. As her eyes locked with his, he told her. Told her everything he had bottled up inside of him for years now.

"You don't know what this means for me, Gabriella. For nearly four years, four damn years, there was nothing else but anger, amusement or boredom there. Nothing. And it was fine that way. I liked it, it meant being in control of what I felt and what I could do to others. And then you came. I thought you'd be nothing more than another distraction, but you proved to be different. And it hit me. I walked away, you know. As soon as I was sure where I was headed, I broke things off. And I thought that was all it would take to get back on track. But I was wrong. It's hard seeing you with some other boy and knowing that they make you happy. It's harder than it should be, because it goes against the grain. I'm not supposed to be like this, I'm not supposed to feel like this."

His head began to hurt. "I don't even know what it is that I feel. You're driving my control and I hate it. You've made me feel, Gabriella, and I don't like it. It gives you power over me and it means me loosing control." His eyes were closed and his breathing was uneven, when he continued. "And I can't allow that. But for some reason I can't get away from you. I've tried, hell yeah, I've tried. I found it's impossible. But I'm not ready to give up yet. Because if I do, it means betraying everything I've ever believed in these last four years." He had done it. He had opened up to her. And she wasn't laughing at him, instead regarding him with compassionate eyes. In a way it was even worse than amusement. He didn't need her compassion. He needed her forgiveness.

But even in the moment he realized that, he could see that it wasn't going to be that easy. He had lost her and he wasn't sure if he ever could gain her back. He was looking down at her, willing her to help him out. He didn't know what to do, because he had never experienced anything like this. He needed someone to tell him what to do, because he was lost. And he got the sinking feeling that Gabriella wasn't going to help him with that. And he was right. "You need to learn that you're not the only one that matters, Troy. Otherwise, people will be gone just like that. If you don't change how you treat others beside you, there'll be nobody left. Sure, you've got the girls swarming your feet and the boys looking up to you, but they aren't your real friends." Casting one last long look at him, she turned on her heel and walked away, leaving him to consider what she had just told him.

It took two minutes in total for him to come back to his senses. The feeling of loss that he had gone through as she had left him standing there had crushed him. But now it was all out in the open. Gabriella might not have realized it, but she had helped him out in her very own way. She had told him what he had needed to know and what he hadn't been able to see. He wasn't the only one that mattered. While trying to save himself from the pain, he had hurt her. He had been running from feelings he hadn't been able to recognize, because he hadn't liked them. And the talk with Gabriella had made it clear for him that he had detested them, because they eluded his control. But why was it so bad for him to loose part of the control he'd been harbouring for years? Right – because it had obtained his title as golden boy of East High until now.

But did that really matter? Was he willing to give up the one good thing happening to him, just because it didn't fit in with the rest of his life style? His head started to feel dizzy and the world was growing hazy in front of his eyes. He realized what he needed to do. He needed to fight for her, because his world wasn't complete without her. He wasn't functioning properly without knowing if she felt the same for him as he did for her. Maybe the world didn't want him to do whatever he wanted to do, because they wanted him to go the way they had designated for him. But it wasn't the rest of the world that mattered. What mattered was Gabriella.

****

I don

**'t know where to go, ****what****'s the right team?  
I want my own thing ****so bad I'm gonna Scream!  
I can't choose, so confused ****What****'s it all mean?  
I want my own dream ****so bad I'm gonna Scream!  
**

For so long he had been confused. But now it all made sense. He loved her. It was plain and simple and still it had taken ages for him to find out. It wasn't just a crush he harboured for her or the attraction he had for every good-looking girl. It was love. And suddenly the coldness he had carried around for years started to melt away. He still didn't know how to act on his latest knowledge, but he was going to do whatever he thought best for himself. His status didn't matter nor did his so-called friends. He wanted to live his very own dream and he would do it. If Gabriella let him.

**  
I****'m kicking down the walls  
I gotta make 'em fall  
Just break through them all  
I'm pushin', crashin', I'm gonna  
Fight to find myself  
Me and no one else  
Which way? I can't tell,  
I'm searchin', searchin', can't find a  
Road that I should take  
(I should) turn right or left  
It's like nothing works without you  
**

He was ready for it, ready for this. The social walls at East High wouldn't bind him any longer. It was time to make them fall. What was the purpose anyways besides trying to pigeonhole people with different interests? It didn't make sense at all, because you couldn't just label human beings. He had let himself fade away just to fit in with students he didn't even like and he wasn't going to do it any longer. Not if it cost him something as precious as Gabriella. With a twinge of guilt he remembered the offences he had exposed Gabriella to, telling her that she was nothing more than a social climber trying to make her way to popularity by using him. Hell, he had even accused her of trying to screw him by saying that she had given her first time to him. And all of that because there had been no proof whatsoever of the genuineness of her feelings.

It was no wonder that she loathed him. Hell, right now he wondered why she hadn't killed him in his sleep. He knew he couldn't relay on proofs anymore. Whatever he had with Gabriella would need to be built on trust, not on facts. But he wasn't sure if he still had the trust Gabriella had once hold for him. He inhaled deeply. What was he thinking? It was obvious that Gabriella didn't trust him anymore. How could she? He had let her down so many times. But there had to be something he could do to build that trust back up. There just had to. And slowly, there was a plan forming in his head.

****

I don't know

**where to go, ****What's the right team?  
I want my own thing ****so bad I'm gonna Scream!  
I can't choose, so confused ****What's it all mean?  
I want ****my own dream s****o bad I'm gonna s****cream!**

**  
I don't know where to go, ****what's the right tea****m?  
I want my own thing, ****I want my own thing  
I can't choose, so confused ****What's it all mean?  
I want ****my own dream s****o bad I'm gonna scream!**

He'd probably have to run the gauntlet later on, but for now he didn't care about that. He wanted Gabriella back and he would do whatever it took to convince her that she could trust him this time round. He would never hurt her purposefully again. For once in his life, Troy Bolton had a goal to reach. And he would do everything it took to make Gabriella his.

**So, I hope you all liked this chapter, because I really did give my best to get it done. I know that I kept you waiting over a month and trust me, I've got an extremely bad conscience because of that, but I hope you haven't given up on seeing another chapter sometime this year :) ****And I made this one extra long (this chapter is my own personal record of over 29 pages on MicrosoftWord), so I could make up for the long wait. Did it work? *hopeful grin* I'm on spring holiday now, so I suppose that I'll be able to get the fifth and last chapter done in the next two weeks. But as latest experiences have proven, I can't make any promises and I'm really sorry for that.**

**So, coming onto the most important thing: I'M CHANGING MY PENNAME! So if you want to find me on here to either write me a PM or to read other stories of mine, I suggest you start paying attention right now: My new penname is going to be ****ElectrifyingChemistry**** and I'll change it about twelve hours after this chapter is out. Again, I'm sorry if it should mess up any alerts or favourites, but I'm just not satisfied with oxlovelyxo any longer. I'm sure most of you have had that feeling somewhere along the way while having an account on here. **

**So, finishing off with that: Please leave a review after you've read this, they mean much too me. Thanks.**

**oxlovelyxo (soon-to-be ****ElectrifyingChemistry)**

**Lena **


	5. About you now

**IMPORTANT NOTE: Despite everything I said, this is NOT going to be the last chapter of this story. The chapter grew too long as I wrote it, so I divided it up into two chapters. I'm not finished with the last one, so I don't know when that's gonna be up, but I certainly hope that it's not gonna take as long as this one. ****This one's from Troy's POV, so I hope you enjoy it :]**

**Alright guys! Here I am with the fifth ****instalment of my story ‚First bad habit'! Gosh, I can't say how eternally grateful I am for all the great reviews I got after I posted the fourth chapter. I update in the evening and the next morning I check my e-mail account and see that I got 35 mails. You guys rock! I was so amazed because I never would have guessed that so many people would be fond of this story :) In a way, this has become my favourite story because I've never written something this emotional before, so it means really much to me that all of you seem to like it. **

**I'm sorry that – once again – it took me so long to make this update, but you already know part of my reasons as I explained them in the note you received – what? A century ago? As I mentioned: I'm sorry. But then I went on holidays and it really seems as if this isn't my year, because eight weeks after the last, we had a new death in the family. I guess it kinda threw me over board. Then I started school again and let me tell you, eleventh grade together with being a senior for the first year (yep, we get three years of being a senior) isn't a walk in the park. Anyways, it's been a pretty long time and much happened: I got sixteen (yeah!), my exams are over and I'll write the next ones in three years.**

**Soo, this chapter is dedicated to Kristyna. You can all thank her, because she was the original reason why this chapter is out in its divided version. Thanks for your support, Kris. You know I love you for it :]**

**Disclaimer: I own only the plot of this story, the characters belong to Disney. I also don't own the song 'About you now' by either the PussyCat Dolls or Miranda Crosgrove (whichever version you prefer). It's a great song, but the credits go to someone else than me. This story is intended solely for entertainment. No copyright infringement intended. No profit made. Does that cover about everything? I think so. Also, I just noticed that I used the word 'iPod' in this one… don't own that either, but then again you already know that, because why would a technical genius like the owner of the copyrights on the iPod patent write stories on FFN?**

_Recap of the last chapter:_

_It was no wonder that she loathed him. Hell, right now he wondered why she hadn't killed him in his sleep. He knew he couldn't relay on proofs anymore. Whatever he had with Gabriella would need to be built on trust, not on facts. But he wasn't sure if he still had the trust Gabriella had once hold for him. He inhaled deeply. What was he thinking? It was obvious that Gabriella didn't trust him anymore. How could she? He had let her down so many times. But there had to be something he could do to build that trust back up. There just had to. And slowly, there was a plan forming in his head._

_He'd probably have to run the gauntlet later on, but for now he didn't care about that. He wanted Gabriella back and he would do whatever it took to convince her that she could trust him this time round. He would never hurt her purposefully again. For once in his life, Troy Bolton had a goal to reach. And he would do everything it took to make Gabriella his. _

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Chapter 5 – About you know

It was going to be hard. He knew that. It was going to be hard, because for once in his life he would have to work for something. She had made that crystal clear and he was ready to work it, for he understood her. Understood her probably better than she could ever imagine. He wasn't actually the ice block he always seemed to be. Sure, he had done a damn good job of conveying that image, and so for it had worked for him. But he was ready to chance his ways. Ready to let go of his reputation, ready to sent the rest of his clique to hell of they tried to prohibit him finally doing what he had been waiting to do for so long.

He could see that now. Yes, when he had started high school and his popularity as one of the best basketball players the court of East High had ever seen had sky-rocketed, he'd seen the need to turn himself into someone void of emotions in order to protect himself from going under. And he hadn't really minded… until the young boy he'd once been had turned into the young man that he was today. As his academically knowledge had grown, so had his emotional intelligence and the feeling of living a life without any sense but taking care of his status at school had become overpowering.

Still he hadn't seen the light. Instead of accepting what his heart was telling him, he'd simply taken mind over matter, fearing that changing his ways and giving his life new options would only result in bringing him down. Pretending to be someone he had never been, however, had become harder and harder to do each day, until he had had no other choice but to add further layers to his masquerade to keep it upright. And so he had become the one everyone feared and everyone loved. He'd come out at the top of the food chain and it had had its perks.

But a small part of him had always been fighting against his very own decision. He'd known that part existed, for he'd spent a good time holding it on the lock-down. And he'd always been successful. Until Gabriella had come along. The liaison with her had reminded him so much of the old Troy and it had scared him. Scared him to the point of purposely drawing her in and crushing her badly afterwards. With her, there's been a good chance of him showing more than his usual amusement and coldness. Way more than that. And his acquired self-defence had kicked in. How dared she trying to break down the walls he'd built up for so long? The realization that she _wasn't _even trying had only fuelled his anger. She obviously had bewitched him and he was powerless. Completely at her mercy. So he had pulled all registers to turn the tables. And he'd come out on top as always, hurting Gabriella in the process. But still that small part of him had continued growing and now he was ready.

That, however, didn't mean that he knew what to do now. He had never done anything remotely like this. And that wasn't the only problem. When had been the last time that he had cared enough about a female to make an effort? It didn't surprise him that he was only able to come up with two persons: his mother and Carrie Winters, the obligatory crush every boy went through in elementary school. Not that she'd ever given him the time of day, but then again he hadn't been nearly as popular as he was now. By the time she finally had noticed him, they had already gone through elementary and junior high school and he had discovered that he was able to make every single female in his vicinity swoon. His next method had been to chat up all of her friends and to avoid her herself like plaque. It hadn't been very nice, but incredibly satisfying.

And now there was Gabriella. As it was very clear that she was way more important than Carrie Winter had ever been and all the evidence pointed in the direction of him being emotionally challenged, there was only one conclusion to come to: He needed help. Desperately. He wiped out his cell phone and began to make his way out of the woods, furiously typing in the number of the only person who would be able to support him. Keeping his phone attached to his ear, he got a move on, suddenly wanting to talk to someone about this mess. All he got was the answering machine that relayed the fact that the owner of the phone in question was currently not available and the question of he wanted to leave a message.

Frustrated, Troy cut off the connection and kicked the next best tree trunk. Where the hell was Chad, when one needed him? A quick look at his watch gave him his answer: The basketball airing on TV had already started. It was the Los Angeles Lakers versus the Boston Celtics and the game most anticipated of the entire season. For a split second he wondered why he didn't care that he had missed the greater part of it. Then his thoughts wandered back to the task at hand. Disturbing Chad now by seeking him out was a definite suicide mission and he really wasn't keen on dying at a time like this. Admitting defeat for now, Troy made his way back home, attempting to get time to move along faster by falling into a very deep slumber.

Lucille Bolton couldn't for the life of her think about a single time she's ever seen her son getting up that early in the morning. Sure, he had gone to bed at a relatively unusual early time the evening before, but was that really a reason to get out of bed at – she blinked once and checked her alarm clock again, yawning and stretching her arms above her head – 5.30 am? Rolling her eyes at the man still asleep next to her, she swung her legs out of bed and dragged the rest of her body along with them. Dressing only in her morning rope, she tip-toed down the stairs and into the kitchen where her son was running a hole into the tiles. For a moment she remained unnoticed, standing back in the shadows cast by the rising sun. Watching her only child, she remembered proudly his growing-up from the small kid into a young man. She was one of the few people that knew that Troy had a heart of gold, well-hidden behind his usual cold stance and demeanor.

"Good morning, Troy!" The middle-aged woman chuckled slightly, as the boy jumped in surprise. Turning around to her, Lucille could see that apologetic twinkle glittering in his eyes, as his face contorted into a sheepish grimace. "Morning, mum! What are you doing down here this early?" His voice carried a tone of shock as well as one of barely concealed anticipation and nervousness. It made his mother wonder which girl exactly had his stomach up in knots, but instead of pressing the matter by flat-out asking him, she moved across the kitchen, starting off her day by making her first cup of coffee. Keeping her voice purposefully light, she asked back: "I could ask you the same. What has possessed you to get out of bed at 5.30 am, when you don't need to be at school until 8 o'clock?"

Rubbing his neck with his right hand, Troy finally stood still, supporting himself on the kitchen table with his left one. "I didn't wake you up, did I?", he avoided the question on purpose, not really comfortable to talk to his mother about Gabriella. Lucille didn't seem to mind him not answering. "With the noise you've been making? Please, it would probably take an elephant to equal the intensity. You would even have awoken the dead – well, besides your father, obviously. But with him, you could possibly let a bomb detonate directly beside him and he would sleep right through it. That's the reason why I always was the one to look after you when you cried as a baby in the middle of the night." She smiled softly at him, apparently reminiscing in the days of the past.

And suddenly, Troy became aware for the very first time in his life that the woman standing in front of him would always be there for him. She'd love him, no matter what and she'd always support him in every way possible, whenever he needed help. Her fondness of him was unconditional and though sometimes she might have been disappointed in his attitude towards all and everyone, she always managed to see the real him underneath all the layers he's surrounded himself with. An unexpected warmth rose in his chest and he quickly walked over to her, hugging her to himself. "I love you, mum. You know that, don't you?" The heart-felt statement brought tears to Lucille's eyes. Willing them back where they belonged, she pulled away from Troy and ruffled his hair, affectionately stroking an astray streak of hair out of his eyes. "Yes, I know, darling. And whatever's got you up this early is going to have to wait, because you, boy, will eat a reasonable breakfast before you leave the house. I doubt Pop Tarts are going to keep you sated for very long."

At half past six o'clock, Troy was feeling queasy again. Having left the house a minute ago, after his mother had been satisfied with the amount of pancakes he had eaten, he was still sitting in the car on his way to school, silently praying to God that Chad would be able to help him out. At ten past seven – five minutes after he had parked in the school's parking lot, having deliberately taken an insanely long detour -, he was thinking about his breakfast going the reverse way, silently berating himself as to why he was making such a big deal out of all of this. He was going to talk to Chad, for God's sake, not asking his entire clique about their opinion regarding Gabriella. Still, at half past seven, he was ready to throw himself in front of the bus, in which Chad had arrived.

"Fucking hell, what took you so long to get here? Why didn't you take your car?", he demanded angrily, geared up to rip his best friend's throat in half. Chad threw him a funny look, questioning his sanity and wondering if Troy had lost his mind. Where was the fire? And since when had East High's most popular player ever made a point in arriving in time for school? "What do you want? I'm already here half an hour too early, which has cost me exactly the same amount of time of sleep. So, what's so important that it couldn't wait until later?" Now. Now was the perfect time to tell him about Gabriella and still Troy couldn't get the words out of his mouth. Nervously looking around, he regarded the students standing around and near him with animosity. Couldn't they just leave him alone for one bloody minute? Not wanting someone to accidentally overhear them, he grabbed Chad's elbow and dragged him along to the gym. As soon as the heavy wooden doors had slammed shut behind them, he took a deep breath. He was going to tell Chad and he hoped to God that he would understand.

Averting his gaze from Chad's face, he scraped the floor with his shoes, searching for the right way to approach the topic. "You see, there's something I need to talk to you about. And I warn you, Chad: Should anything I'm about to tell you leave this room, I'm going to know whom to blame for that, got me?" For a short moment he had his mask back in place, not even able to completely lay off it in front of Chad. The only response he got was an eye-rolling and an affirmative nod. "I've got a problem." There. It was finally out. He had admitted that he wasn't almighty. And Chad wasn't laughing at him. Allowing himself a breath of relief, he looked at his best friend, seeing a surprisingly solemn facial expression adorning Chad's face. And before he had any time to ponder over it or ask about it, there was a nod. A single nod without any accompanying words and it told Troy more than an entire speech. Chad knew something. Had known something for some time now. And had held back.

Narrowing his eyes at him, he didn't really know what to feel. What exactly did Chad know? And why hadn't he said anything? "You already know." It wasn't a question, more of a statement, and Chad hesitantly nodded. "This is about Gabriella Montez, isn't it?" Troy couldn't help himself. His entire body froze up at the mentioning of Gabriella. So he did know. Did that make things easier or more complicated? Assessing his best friend's stance, his thoughts were racing through his head. There hadn't been any malice when Chad had said her name. Did that mean he didn't share the usual distaste for anyone below them on the social ladder? Could it be this easy, this effortless to get Chad to help him out here? Could all this worrying about possibly having to say goodbye to his best friend for Gabriella have been for nothing? He didn't dare to really hope, but Chad's next announcement made all of his doubts flee the scene.

"You've made a mistake in letting her go, you know that?" The self-confidence portrayed in Chad's words didn't quite match his tone. It was only a whiff of hesitation, but it was there nonetheless. Because despite what Chad was thinking, he still didn't know if his friend had finally given into his feelings. The way he had seen things going downhill that swiftly, Troy's tormenting of Gabriella, her eventual resistance and all of the loathing between them, he had honestly doubted that either of them would ever get back on track. Until he had talked to Gabriella. She had given him hope, the hope he had needed to maintain so badly, in spite of her fierce denying of any liaison that could have been. It hadn't done much, because regardless of his school marks, Chad Danforth wasn't an idiot. And he had been glad to see that – the only time he had ever done it so far - Troy seemed to have hung himself up on a decent girl.

And now it seemed like he had even come to his senses on his own. Or with a little help from Gabriella, he didn't know. But he intended to find out. "What happened?" And Troy, still under shock from the revelation, spilled the entire story. At the end of it, Chad didn't quite know what to say. Which was a first. And it was the first time ever that Troy Bolton showed a sign of resignation. With a sense of helplessness filling up his core, he slung himself carelessly on the bleachers, burying his face in his hands. "I simply don't know what to do. I care for her, yes. I want her to be mine again. But I don't know how to get her to trust me again. How do I show her I mean it?" Those questions weren't the only doubts on his mind, but he couldn't quite make out how to voice the others. He had been acting out his role for so long and with such conviction that he didn't know if he could pull off changing himself. How do you turn around your own image, when you're ridiculously terrified that you'll get hurt if you show the real you?

He could feel Chad taking a seat beside him, felt the presence of the anxious atmosphere and frantically wished to have a solution for all of his problems. When had his life become so complicated? Where had all the times gone he had only had to snip with his fingers to get whatever he wanted? "You need to give her time, Troy. You need to show her that you're here for real this time. And you need to show her that you're willing to make sacrifices for her." Chad's voice was gentle, yet convincing enough to make Troy consider his options. "And how do I do that?" He was at a loss here, not quite knowing what Chad was trying to tell him. "I can't change myself from one moment to the other. I need to retain what I am in school, because I've never known anything else. How can I show myself, when all that is going to happen is that someone is going to get hurt anyways?" He didn't exactly know if he was more scared about getting hurt himself or about seeing Gabriella get hurt because of him. He didn't think he could put up with either of the possibilities.

But something needed to be done. He wasn't going to let Gabriella go, just because he was scared. "Talk to her, mate. She's a good listener, you know? Even when she doesn't want to hear the things you're saying." At this, Chad grinned a bit, alerting Troy. "You've spoken to her? When?" He couldn't believe his ears. Now Chad was not only telling him that he'd approve of him going after Gabriella, but that he had already talked to her was surprising to say the least. His best friend only smirked. "You'd like to know that, wouldn't you? But seriously, Troy, I like her. She's nice. So I say go for it." It was by far the most honest talk they had ever had. And a part of Troy felt uneasy about the familiarity with that they were doing this. This wasn't the normal way things went. "So you don't care about social walls and all that? Chad, I'm not entirely sure if she even is listed on the food chain. Technically speaking, this all should be impossible."

The hot fury that delineated itself on Chad's face shocked Troy. "If you really think that I'm as shallow as the rest of the people we hang around with, then we've gone wrong somewhere, Troy. I always knew you never cared all that much, although you were always wearing this ridiculous masquerade. But right now I'm seriously re-thinking that. Food chain? Social ladders? God, I thought you knew that there's nothing that's more overrated. It comes in handy now and then to be at the top, but if it starts threatening what you really want, then there's nothing left to do but to shed those restraints as fast as you can." The speech was the longest one Troy had ever heard Chad make. And the brightest.

"So you're okay with her?" He had got the message by now, but still couldn't help himself to make sure. And Chad grinned once again. "Sure, bro. And have you seen that friend of hers, McKessie? I think I'm going to tap her as soon as everything's alright with the two of you again." The sentence that was so typical for Chad it was laughable made Troy chuckle. So he wasn't going to lose his best friend over this. There would be at least someone here in this school that would support him, should he go through with making Gabriella his. And still there was the little doubt nestled into Troy's brain. Would he be able to change for her?

**Maybe I'm wrong, you decide**

**Should have been strong, yeah I lied**

**Nobody gets me like you**

One hundred twenty minutes and two periods later, Troy made his way from the chemistry lab to the main hallway. Maybe talking to Gabriella again wasn't the worst idea. Chad was right. If he wanted to figure this out, then he would need help from her, too. If she was willing to give it to him, that was. And then it happened. He hadn't spotted her yet, so he'd stayed in the area, wandering around and ignoring the group of people frantically trying to wave him over to them. Suddenly a hand gripped tight on his elbow and he turned around with a frown and raised eyebrows. He didn't like to be touched without having given his consent first and this was no exception to the rule. He'd known that it couldn't have been Gabriella, for the cheap perfume that now polluted the air simply wasn't her style. And he had been right. It was Lauren Johnson and for a short moment Troy was disgusted with himself for even knowing her name.

"What the hell do you want, Johnson?", he growled impatiently, yanking his arm free and giving her a clear warning that she was about to piss him off severely. Evidently she didn't care, because she made another grab for him, getting a hold of his upper arm. The forewarning stare was enough to make a giant running for cover in fright if he even had the tiniest bit of intelligence. There was no doubt that Lauren Johnson was lacking in the brains department, because she didn't even recoil the slightest bit. "Tell me if you've got something going on with _Montez_!" The tone of contempt for the person with the last name was palpable and something inside Troy seemed to freeze up. His entire system was having a fatal break down, surviving instinct and years of habit breaking through. He didn't even think anymore, reacting purely based on intuition and a sense of self-preservation.

It took only a minute to build up the walls, to get his coldness back in place, to let the deadly amusement rise to the surface. "With Montez? Let me think, Johnson… I don't think that's any of your business, is it?" There was an undeniable, underlying tenor of vigorous admonition in his voice to leave it alone, to not corner him on it and Troy gravely hoped that Lauren would get the hint and take a hike. If she was to keep this up, there was no guarantee what he would do. He could already feel the ice creeping into the corridor, the familiar chill suffusing all dead and living in his vicinity as it had been the case so many times beforehand. He hadn't figured this out yet and he wasn't going to do so under pressure. And there it was again. The high, whiny voice that Lauren would have done good to keep trapped inside her body. "That bitch becomes my business when she takes you away from us. You've changed so much these past weeks and it started after you laid eyes on that thing at that one party!" There was no mistaken her needy, mean tone and it made Troy shudder on the inside. How could he ever have associated himself with someone like this? And how dared she insinuate him being a public possession? How could anyone take him from someone when he hadn't belonged to them in first place? His hands curled into shaking fists, desperate to hit something, someone, anyone this very minute, but unable to because of his aversion to hitting women.

"Yes, Johnson, maybe I bagged her, maybe I haven't. So what? If I remember correctly, so I did with you. And that, now that was a mistake I'll be sure to never repeat again." His disdain for her was evident now, growing stronger within seconds. By now, there was a small crowd building up and surrounding them, listening in on their conversation with interest. Everyone had picked up on the small changes in Troy, however insignificant they might have been. As said before, it had his perks to be the crowned king of high school and it had its disadvantages. And this definitely was a drawback. Especially since Lauren's observations had to have been so important to her, that she wasn't satisfied with his answer, daring to push his buttons even more than she had already done. "That was no answer. I want to know if that bitch is the one that has changed you into this … I don't know. You're so withdrawn, baby." She nearly purred out the last word, making Troy shudder in revulsion. "So, tell me. Has East High's resident playboy settled down for some slut that's so far beneath him?"

Troy's breathing grew laboured. Who did she think she was? Who was she to demand an explanation out of him? Who was she to insult Gabriella like that? Just as he was about to do something what would have been very painful for the girl standing in front of him, there was a hand grabbing for his elbow. He knew the grip and didn't shake it off, instead turning his head and looking at his best friend. Chad was starring intently at him, trying to get his message through to Troy without speaking out loud. _Hurting her isn't going to help anyone right now, Troy. _However, East High's leader wasn't intending on backing down. Lauren needed to be taught a lesson, physical or otherwise. And since he assumed that she was too thick for playing mind games, he would have liked to go for the physical approach. "Chad! Great that you're here. You wouldn't want to miss this. _Miss _Johnson here believes that she can dictate me what to do and what not to do. What do you think about that one?" Tauntingly, he threw a side glance to Lauren, but the girl still didn't get that she was about to be brought down by the boy she had dared to question about his actions.

Chad didn't even get the chance to answer, as the blonde cheerleader was already chirping happily to the co-captain of East High's basketball team. "Chad, tell him. You've noticed him changing, too, haven't you? It's got something to do with that Montez girl, I just know it. And now he's all acting as though he's changed his DNA. Talk some sense into him, please. You know what's going to happen, should he ever be associated with the likes of her." Chad's next breath never left his throat. For heaven's sake. Whatever was going to follow now, it wasn't going to be pretty. He knew that Troy had had every meaning to change his horrendous ways, but he wasn't quite sure if his intentions were already strong enough to survive this storm. There were years of habit, years of practice, and years of acting behind Troy's whole demeanor, all of those things having only one purpose: retaining his social status. And however overrated it was, it was something the sandy-blonde boy had treasured for a really long time. And he wasn't going to let that be taken away from him this easily. Chad had always known that he wouldn't undergo grave changes over-night and it had only been yesterday that he'd seen the light. Lauren Johnson was on the best way of ruining everything Gabriella had ever managed to get through to Troy.

And he was right. As soon as the words had left Lauren's mouth, the survival instincts he'd let go of when he had thought he'd had the situation under control had kicked back in. His eyes grew small and – if it even was possible – even colder than before. She wasn't going to tell him off just like that. No, she wasn't going to. "Shut the fuck up, Johnson. I'll say it once and listen well, because I'm not going to repeat myself. Are we clear? I am _not_ going to back down from my position. And if I were in your shoes, I'd be very careful about the assumptions you make in the future. So you've seen me with Montez. And you honestly believe I've changed myself for her. Because I'm _so_ well known for letting myself be tamed by a _girl_." However faked the daunting in his voice, the by-standing students seemed to buy it. Many of them nodded approvingly, as he carried on. "You know Montez. What universe do you live in thinking I'd start something up with her? What world do you live in thinking she'd be able to hold me? What qualities do you see in her that would make her different from all the other girls at East High? She's nothing special."

The second he realized what he was actually saying, he was cursing himself to hell and back again. Damn. Maintaining his status was one thing, denying Gabriella a whole other. It hadn't even been necessary. Threatening Lauren would have done the trick and no one would have questioned it. The abhorrence he was feeling for himself was consuming him and the look his eyes were throwing made several students backtrack in shock. You could practically feel the negative electricity emitting from him and it was a wonder there wasn't a thunderstorm starting up outside. It certainly would have matched the atmosphere. And while most didn't understand what had changed Troy's mood that fast, Chad could empathize with the murderous feelings racing through his best friend's veins. And he was hoping that Lauren knew what was best for her, because, while he was sure that Troy was hating himself just as much as her right now, a good portion of his rage was directed at her. Resigned, Chad rolled his eyes and shook his best friend's shoulder. "She's not worth it, captain. And violence isn't going to solve anything. There are more important matters you need to attend to."

To say that Chad's statement was confusing would have been the understatement of the century, but it did the necessary. For a short moment, Troy's mind stopped making up a hundred different ways to positively ruin Lauren Johnson and started listening to what his mate was saying. "What?" Chad pointed in the direction Troy had come from a few minutes earlier. "You had more audience than you knew about." As quick as lightening Troy whirled around and barely captured the image of a small figure rounding the corner. The brown hair wafting behind her gave away her identity. "Shit. Gabriella?" He didn't need a confirmation; it was simply a desperate attempt of escaping reality. Chad's nod nonetheless brought his own stupidity falling down on his head again. In a matter of seconds, he had made up his mind. Not this time. "Could you please take over for me here? I'm needed elsewhere." He didn't think he'd ever run faster in his entire life. "Gabriella!" Chasing after her, he was calling out her name time and time again, trying to get her to stop.

And finally she did, though he did have the sinking feeling that it was more for the fact that she had caught a dead-end corridor by accident than it was for the fact that he was pleading with her. "Gabriella!" He came to a screeching halt right where she was standing, losing his balance and nearly taking her down with him. Not until he was nearly horizontal did he get a grab at one of the lockers, steadying himself. Her back was still turned to him, the small shoulders hunched as if covering away from him. He grabbed them, swirling her around to meet his eyes. But there were no tears, no crying as he had expected. Simply a touch of hurt edged onto her face and a hint of sadness displayed in her eyes. "What are you doing here, Troy? Do you need something?" His mouth nearly hit the floor. That was weird. Here he was, presuming she'd need comforting, and she was asking what he was doing and if _he_ needed anything.

"Did you not hear me just then?" He pointed back in the direction he had come from, completely taken by surprise at her calm appearance. And having no idea how difficult it was for her, he watched her mouth quirk up in a smile. "You mean the part with the 'no qualities to hold someone like you, nothing special'? Oh yes, actually, I did hear that." So she had caught that! Then why…? He regarded her more carefully and saw past the façade. "It upset you." The statement was simply enough to break her stance. She grimaced and sucked in a breath through closed teeth. "Well, yeah." Avoiding his eyes, she quickly tried to lessen the substance of her confession. "But, you know, it doesn't really matter, because…" He cut her off, enraged that she was trying to play this down. "Gabriella, trust me on this. It matters. Tell me what you think about me right now, after you've heard that." With his right hand, he caught her chin and forced her to look at him, with his left hand he drew her closer to him. Her eyes grew wide and uncertain, but he nodded for her to speak up. And eventually she did.

"I don't know what to think of you. But if I didn't know any better, I'd say you regretted ever touching me." Her voice was small, a slight tremor was shaking it up, and Troy closed his eyes in pain. She said she knew better, but did she really mean it? Her voice was giving her away, the hurt crawling to the surface, whilst she was trying to keep it down. Heaven in hell, he had done it again after promising that he'd refrain from doing so in the future. As desperately as he wanted to draw her in entirely and hug her until the last doubt left her body, he knew it wasn't the right way to go about this. Instead, he let go of her and started pacing in front of her. "I'm sorry. I wasn't going to say all of the things I've said. I just needed her to shut up. But what is the most important: I need you to know that I do not regret you. I couldn't. You told me what's wrong with me, remember?" He tried to smile at her, but the best he could do was a half-smirk.

"I know, Troy. I know you're not that kind of guy. I can feel it." She looked up at him with serious eyes. "But sometimes I can't help myself. No matter that there's nothing between the two of us now, you know it meant something to me when there had been. And hearing you denying it, it hurts. Because it makes me think that you might be disgusted with yourself for ever laying a hand on me. And while I know that it doesn't matter what you think about it, it just doesn't stop. It tears at my self-confidence, because you _mattered._" The eyes that were locked onto his gaze filled with tears, but she held them back. He was aware that she was withholding them for his sake; that she didn't want to use them as a weapon as so many others of her gender did. And as thankful he was for her consideration, he wished that she would be able to let go when she was with him. Because that was what she deserved. She deserved someone who would treat her right, who would know what to do when she was said. Someone who wouldn't be the one responsible for her sadness. Gabriella mistook his silence for contempt. "I know it's irrational and I know that this is entirely my problem, so you really shouldn't care about this."

And there it was again: the self-blaming, the experience that he wasn't very good at taking the blame for something. "Gabriella, I hurt you. Of course I should care about this." _Because I might just love you. Because I really, really care about you. _But he didn't tell her. Because as well as he knew that it was true, he still wasn't ready. How could he tell her when he didn't know if she reciprocated his feelings? She was hurt by what he had said, yes. But not because she liked him, but because of what had been between them. Because of their history, not because of the present. "I'm trying, Gabriella, I really am. I know you told me what I do wrong, but I just don't know how to change. I've been like this for so long, how can I be sure that there's someone nice in there? You've seen me; you've heard me just now. That wasn't nice at all, was it? I'm not sure I can do this." He was asking for her help, even though he already knew that she wasn't going to be able to help him. This was something he needed to figure out by himself. And when he had done that, then he could start thinking about this situation with Gabriella.

Nevertheless, her expression softened and the hurt vanished from her features. "You can do this, Troy. You need to believe in yourself. What you have done a few moments ago was what you do under pressure. Anyone would do what they've been trained to do for years. And I suppose that you've had years of practice fending people off by reacting that way. I'm not saying that it's right what you've done, I'm saying I understand. You can't change yourself in twenty-four hours and I don't expect that. To be honest, I didn't even know if you had even listened to me", she answered off-handed. "After all, I'm no one to tell you what to do, am I?" Troy blinked a few times. She understood. She was right. He'd never reacted well under pressure. That was no excuse, but it was something to work with. And she got him. The urge to kiss her was so strong he had to hold onto a locker to stop himself. He had a distant feeling that kissing her now wasn't the greatest idea he had ever had. And so he simply raised his hand and hesitantly stroked her soft cheek, feeling her lean into him. Savouring the moment, he smiled at her one last time before turning around and disappearing behind the next corner.

**Couldn't keep hold of you then**

**How could I know what you meant?**

**There was nothing to compare to**

So she knew him. Understood him and was probably able to analyse his entire character. For a short moment he asked himself why that prospect didn't scare him. _Because it doesn't matter anymore to keep your real self hidden, _a voice inside his head answered him. _You want her, you need to be open with her. Question: Does _she _still want you? _Troy stopped dead in his tracks. Did she want him? Did she know that he still intended to make her his? Or had she gotten the impression that he was simply changing for his own sake, not because he also cared about her? Contemplating the matter, he absent-mindedly climbed the stairs to his secret hide-out. No matter how popular he was, no one had ever taken so far as to follow him after he'd blown up at someone and so there wasn't a chance in hell anyone besides him and the biology club knew about the rooftop garden the school had set up a good decade ago. And it was good that way, because he'd used this place so often in the past that in his mind it had become his and his alone. It was easier to sort through his thoughts up here, far away from everything that moulded him into someone he hadn't been beforehand, far away from everything that bothered him.

Neglecting the wooden bench, he approached the balustrade presenting a glorious view over the entire school grounds and way beyond them. Bracing his hands against the railing, he closed his eyes and threw his head back. Gabriella really was something else. She was so different, so completely unlike others of her species, so very special to him that most of the time it seemed just unreal. But Gabriella was real and she was here now and he had missed his opportunity. But how could he have known what to do about it? How could he have known what to make of all the changes that had happened so quickly, so surprisingly, so unexpectedly? How could he have known how to treat her right? He had never done this before, had never been in a serious relationship. Why should he have wanted to? There hadn't been anybody that had touched him any other way than physically. Not once had there been someone that had got through to him, into his very core and touched his soul. Where other girls had longed to be with him for the popularity the position certainly would have brought them, she had been there for the real him. Where others had been out to use him, she had been there to help him. In short, she was everything no one else had ever been for him.

And he had ruined it. Great. He had ignored what she needed, had only ever been considerate of what was best for him. And the hold he'd originally had over her had slowly been relinquished by his own thoughtlessness and his idiotic self-protection. And there he was, pining after her like some love-sick fool. This whole thing really was dangerous. This was exactly why he had always sought to avoid ever feeling something this strong for someone he wasn't sure of. How did others manage this kind of thing? This uncertainty? How could you ever fall for someone without getting hurt? Was it worth the risk? Was Gabriella worth risking feeling the pain of being rejected, was she worth risking what he had built up for four years? Or wasn't it Gabriella that had to be worth it? Maybe the question should be if he'd be worth it for her to risk starting something up with him a second time. A small smile was adorning his lips now. She had really done it. She had made him fall for her without even meaning to; she had accomplished what so many before her had tried. And the most interesting thing was that he didn't even care. He was enjoying it.

**There's a mountain between us**

**But there's one thing I'm sure off**

**That I know how I feel about you**

There was no doubt left in him that he was crazy about her. Having left the rooftop garden for lunch, he turned the corner into the corridor leading to the cafeteria and stopped right where he was, leaning casually back against the lockers beside him. Directly in front of his eyes, there was the gorgeous brunette he craved to see more and more. She hadn't noticed him yet, talking animatedly to her friends surrounding her, so he was left to watch her. His eyes travelled her body, noticing the little things about her that only made her even more adorable and appealing as she already was to him. The way she was lightly tapping her left foot to the beat coming from an iPod near her, how one of her hips was slightly jutted out while she was keeping her balance on her right leg, how she held herself with a straight back, the way the sun shone down on her rich, brown hair, casting a gentle touch of red and highlighting parts of her beautiful face. Her eyes shone excitedly and her whole stance simply radiated happiness. How he wished to be the one to make her feel this way.

But until he'd convinced her of his reliability, there was a mountain between them. He was so far away right now, not included into her circle of friends, that he couldn't help but feel like the social outcast. Shaking his head at the abstruse feeling, he was just about to head off again as she finally caught his gaze. Locking their eyes, he could see the curious wonder in hers and could feel his heart skip a beat, then pick up its pace and start galloping. The sudden urge to go stand by her, slip his arms around his waist and never let her go again took him by surprise. But it wasn't an uncomfortable feeling. It felt right. Oh yes, he definitely was in this for real. This wasn't a crush that was going to cease with time. No, this could very well be the real deal. Shortly, he considered going over there for real, but then changed his mind. Who knew if she wanted him to? He had hurt her and even though she understood, he knew he wasn't forgiven yet. Maybe he would never be. Even if he did change, no one could tell if she'd ever be ready to start over with him. If she'd ever want to. Who was he to disrupt her and her friends? And so he turned around, a soft smile gracing his lips as he released Gabriella's gaze.

**Can we bring yesterday back around?**

'**Cause I know how I feel about you now**

**I was dumb, I was wrong, I let you down**

**But I know how I feel about you now**

God, how could he ever have let her go? There was no doubt that he'd been stupid. He'd been so selfish and all he had ever cared about had been himself. And now that she had finally made him realize the errors of his ways, he'd since long let her go without knowing if he would ever catch her again. She'd been the first girl who had not wanted to use him and then he had had to go and mess it all up by letting her down time and time again. Oh, how he wished to be able to turn the clock back to the very beginning and to do it all over again. But no matter how much he was praying for the opportunity, he knew all too well that it wasn't a possibility. Instead he was left to ask himself why he had let go, why he had hurt her on purpose, why he had deluded himself into thinking that she, too, was only out to get to him to raise her social status. Had it been the fear of letting someone in? The fear of needing someone? Because he couldn't believe that he hadn't seen before that she was everything he had ever wanted.

He had been so dumb to assume he could get on without her, get her out of his system in time to erase her completely. Boy, had he been wrong. Until now, the saying 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder' had only ever elicited a snort and a half-laugh from him. Now he was seriously reconsidering his opinion. He needed her. In front of him, beside him, with him. But she hadn't told him if she still wanted him. And, he realized, she didn't have a reason to. Even if she did, he had been the one to break things off. So why would she set herself up for heartbreak again if it was so much safer for her to keep quiet? But then again, she hadn't told him either that she didn't want him anymore. Simply because he hadn't asked her about it or because there still was a chance for him, however small it might be? Maybe, maybe he still had a shot if she was willing to give him a second chance. The thought brought the blood rushing into Troy's face, his mind already speeding up and reeling with the different approaches to talk to her. He would change; he had already promised her that. And if there was a possibility of getting her back along the way, then he was going to take it. He would show her that he wanted her in his life. Now all he had to do was find out if he had a shot. He needed to find her. Now.

**All that it takes one more chance**

**Don't let our last kiss be our last**

**I'm out of my mind just to show you**

Mission Finding Gabriella had to wait until after school, because, just as Troy had come to his decision, the bell had rung, calling everyone to continue with their lessons. And while East High's golden boy couldn't have cared less about missing a few periods because of skipping school, he was certain that it wasn't going to get him on Gabriella's good side if he asked her to escape with him now. So he resigned himself to sitting through pointless periods, counting the minutes and seconds until he would be able to get out. The only good part about all of this was that these were going to be the last classes he would have to take for today. And since he had gotten to know Gabriella's time table quite well during the times they had had something going on, he knew exactly that she was free to leave after her double period in Chemistry as well. That was why he was up and out as soon as he heard the releasing bell. Several students were furrowing their brows because of him, wondering what had gotten the incumbent king of East High so twisted up. And while a few of them were able to put two and two together, supposing that it had something to do with the suggestions Lauren had voiced, they never would have dared to say a thing.

As soon as Troy arrived in the school's section for scientific-related classrooms, he could tell that Gabriella wasn't there anymore. The corridor was totally extinct, not counting the charwoman wiping the floor and warning him with a hawk's eyes to stay clear of the part she had already gotten done. Desperately praying that they had only been let out earlier than usual and not been told to go home because of cancelled lessons, he sprinted back into the main hall, feverishly looking out for the brunette he was searching for. Dejectedly, he had to detect that she was gone already. Stepping outside, he groaned as he became aware of the rain falling down on him and quickened his pace. That was all he needed, really. Reaching his car, it was a matter of seconds until he got in and departed the parking lot. Setting his wits to work on how to reach Gabriella now to talk to her in an appropriate way for such serious matters as the ones he wanted to discuss, he slowly made his way in the opposite direction of his own home, following the streets towards Gabriella's.

The plodding rain was falling down on his windshield constantly, making it hard to see anything in the grey clouds of mist. So he very nearly missed the black point on the horizon that was becoming bigger and bigger with the decreasing distance between the car and the spot. It was only when he was about fifteen metres away that it became clear that there was a person walking in the drenching rain and when he was directly beside them, he could clearly recognize Gabriella. His jaw falling down, he cursed her stupidity to even think about walking in this weather, let alone actually doing it. Pulling up beside her, he stopped the car and scrolled down his car window. "Gabriella!" It took about four times of screaming for her to finally hear him over the downpour. Turning her head to look at him, she stopped walking and came up to his window, her hair tangled up and hanging around her face tousled. There had been lots of situation in which Troy couldn't keep his thoughts pure around her and her being soaked to the skin normally would have educed a lot of suggestive reactions, but his fury over-tuned it. She could get sick this way and she wasn't even wearing a freaking jacket! Jutting his chin in the general direction of the passenger seat, he urged her to get into the car.

"Heaven in hell, Gabriella, get in! Do you want to get pneumonia?" He really was trying to keep the demanding tone out of his voice, however, had the distant feeling that he wasn't very good at it. But how could she expect him to stay calm when she was jeopardizing her health? His nerves were starting to wear thin when she looked indecisive and eventually shook her head no. "I'll get your car wet, Troy. There's no need anyways. It'll only take a few minutes longer, and then I'm home." He only snorted at her response. A few minutes? Was she trying to kid him? He knew where she lived and it was nowhere near in walking distance. "You're crazy. And now get your butt in here. The car will dry in time, so don't fret about that." He knew he wasn't being very polite, but the way she got more and more soaked made his heart wrench with worry. And something about it seemed to get through to Gabriella, because she went around the car and got in at the passenger side without another word. Troy started the car again, the motor quickly revving. Without looking at the sopping wet girl beside him, he reached over to his air-conditioner and turned the heat on. It wouldn't even take five minutes for the car to warm up to a comfortable temperature.

And still he noticed out of the corner of his eye that she was still shivering. Without thinking even twice about it, he took off his own jacket and turned it over to Gabriella. When she was about to protest, he simply threw it into her lap and clamped his hand over his mouth. "I don't want to hear it. You're cold, you take the jacket." He watched her, as she wordlessly slipped it on and crossed her arms over her chest, pouting. He smirked. Had he ever told her how adorable she looked when sulking? Probably not. Training his eyes back onto the road, he didn't say another word and they spent the rest of the drive in the quiet. Somewhere along the way, the brunette finally stopped shivering and Troy's heart could unclench for a while. Maybe she would be spared from getting sick. When the car eventually pulled up in the Montez' driveway, neither of them moved. The comfortable silence they had shared until now grew awkward. What to do now? Troy had the inclining to believe that she didn't know, either. And so he decided to use the opportunity. But obviously Gabriella had made up her mind at the same time and chose to escape.

"Thank you, Troy." The hesitation in her voice was unmistakeable and the uncertainty written all over her face. He offered her a half-smile, which turned into a frown the second she made a grab for the door. His hand shooting out to her, he got a grab at her arm and prohibited her from getting out. Confused, she turned around, only to be met with a serious-looking Troy. He needed to tell her now; there was no better time than this. They were together and, what was the more important part, alone. "I'm sorry, Gabriella." Somehow it felt right to start out with an apology. "For everything. For how I treated you the entire time, for making your life hell when I was trying to avoid my own issues, for taking you in and then spitting you out just like that. For being an arsehole about the whole truth thing." The feeling that built up in his stomach could only be described as extreme guilt. Now that he had finally come to his senses, he remembered all too well that he had blown her off, when she had confided in him that she loved him, that he had been her first. And it was eating at him. He wasn't even expecting an absolution from her, because he truly had been awful to her. And obviously she, too, hadn't forgotten about him talking down her first time and calling her a liar over the subject. "Yeah, I'm sorry, too."

And he knew that she didn't mean that she was partly putting herself at fault for it, but that she was sorry she had had to put up with the crap he had put her through. He really couldn't blame her. His hand that had hold her in place fell down motionlessly and he hung his head in shame, not knowing how to proceed. How did anyone get through this? But then again, there probably wasn't anybody who had made that big a mistake. Gabriella moved next to him and his head snapped up again. "Thanks again, Troy." And with that she was up and out of the car, throwing the door closed behind her. For a moment he simply sat there, starring off into space and contemplating what to do now. Then, with a snap decision, he unbuckled himself, exited the car and chased after her. "Gabriella, wait!" She was already at her doorstep, fumbling in her bag for her set of keys, when he reached her. The small back turned to him, her shoulders hunched in a pitiful attempt to cover away from the rain, she dropped her keys, when she felt his presence behind him. Before she even had the chance to bend over and retrieve them, he already had his hands on them, skilfully hiding them in his hands. And still she wasn't looking at him, simply holding out her hand and waiting for him to dump her keys into them. Which he didn't do.

"Gabriella." He waited patiently, until she had turned her head and was looking straight at him. "Gabriella, I need to talk to you." He watched her eyes grow slightly larger and for a few seconds he was afraid he had sounded somewhat threatening. Biting his tongue, he prayed to God that she would let him talk without taking to her heels before he had finished. Slightly, Gabriella nodded her head. "What about?" Now this was where it was going to get difficult. He hadn't really prepared what to tell her and this was a matter he was extremely unsure about. Feeling like walking a small path above a bottomless pit, he scraped his courage together. "About us. I need you to give me a second chance." There. He had said it. It was out in the open. And up for discussion. He could feel her confusion even before it appeared on her face. "A second chance? I don't think I understand…" She broke off, searching his face and seeking an explanation in his eyes. He definitely needed to elaborate. "I need you to give me a second chance with us. Gabriella, I _want _you. You told me to change and I promise you I will. But what I'm trying to tell you here is that I'm not only going to change for my own good. I want to know if there's any chance for the two of us to be together again. Like, really together. In a relationship."

The rigidness of her body hurt him more than he could have imagined. But instead of turning away, he stayed put, letting the pain wash over him and disappear after a few seconds. Stepping up to her, he raised his hand to her face, softly stroking her cheek. "Give me a chance, Gabriella. Please. I'll prove it to you, I swear. Let me show you that I might be worth risking it again." One chance. It was all he needed. And if she was going to give it to him, he would make damn sure that he wasn't going to mess it up again. She was holding his fate now, or it seemed that way at least. She was going to be the one to decide if he would be able to make his uncountable mistakes up to her or not. She was going to determine if changing would be making sense to him. He knew he was asking much of her, but she needed to make this decision. "You want a chance?" Her voice was hoarse, a tone of disbelief and surprise mixed into it, along with – he wasn't exactly sure what it was – delicate happiness? Starring intently into her eyes, he could see different emotions wrestle with each other. She was deliberating his request, trying to understand, work through it. And he gave her the time, content with watching her, but feeling like he was standing on the edge nonetheless. If she could only look into him, see how important this was for him, how important she was, all the things he didn't quite know how to voice.

And maybe she could, because slowly she lifted her head up to his. "I don't know, Troy. You hurt me. A lot. But you know that already. I need… I need to think this through; I don't think I could take being left by you again. Even more so, I need to figure out if I could trust you with myself. Show me, Troy. Show me you'll be there for me, no matter what. I'm not saying that I will come back to you after some time, but I'm saying you can try to win me over. Show me that you're reliable to do better this time. And maybe, maybe then I can give you a second chance." She was smiling a little, but he knew that she'd probably never been more serious in her entire life. The liberation of his heart, though, was endless. So maybe he hadn't destroyed everything. Maybe he still had a shot. If he proved it to her. And he would do that. He would go out of his mind just to show her that this time, he was there for real. The feeling that surged through his veins was so unexpected that it took him by surprise and his next actions defied his control. It was a mixture of her permission to try, her proximity and his very own desire that had him pull her up against the door and gently touch her mouth with his lips. He could feel her resistance at first and then her giving in, her arms entwining his neck, her lips becoming soft and indulgent.

The rain already forgotten, her devotion to the kiss had hot flames of passion blazing up in Troy. He deepened the kiss, his embrace tightened and he gathered her closer to him. Her quiet sigh wasn't one of protest, but one of complete surrender. She slid her fingers into his hair and his hands slid down her sides, over her waist. He felt her shudder beneath his touch and his fingers blazing with the fire of ardour, leaving a trail of heat everywhere his hands were tracing her body. Nibbling at her lips, he gained entrance to her plush mouth, their tongues intertwining and playfully battling for dominance. As both of them grew needier, the tempo of their kisses picked up, the want overcoming both of their minds and their senses. There was no more thinking, just them, loosing themselves in each other, taking pleasure in pleasuring the other. And then it was over just as fast as it had begun, Troy releasing her mouth and simply laying his forehead on hers. His eyes were closed as he listened to Gabriella's erratic breathing and when he eventually opened them again, there was something in her eyes that hadn't been there before. They had grown darker and there was a new awareness in them. Troy's lips lazily curled up into a smirk. "I'd say I'm sorry, except that I'm not."

He sensed that she still wasn't able to say anything and it was an understatement to say that it made him proud. So he could still leave her breathless. The small victory that his eyes were without a doubt visibly displaying seemed to shake Gabriella enough to regain control over the basic functions. "You want to come in?" The offer was delivered shyly, with a hint of self-consciousness. And whichever way he looked at it, there was nothing that militated for actually risking being with her all alone in her home. "No, thank you." The disappointment and rejection was obvious in her oculars and he feared that he had let her down again. Swallowing hard, he quickly tried to make up for the damage. "Oh, don't worry, Gabriella. I plan on kissing you again. I just asked for a second chance, didn't I? That kiss right now wasn't our last, I promise. I just don't think that right now is not a good place for doing this." And because her face still remained a little impassive, he leaned down to her on instinct and kissed her forehead. Somehow the little gestures seemed to come natural to him when it concerned Gabriella. "Please, Brie. You know what's going to happen as soon as both of us enter this house. You're not ready for this, darling. Neither am I. I'm trying to prove that you mean more to me than just some toy here. How can I do that when I'd pounce on you, knowing you'd maybe welcome it now and possibly regret it later? I'd curse myself to hell for it." That reason seemed to be enough to compensate for the frustration of not having him, because she nodded. With a satisfied glow in his smile and a light spring to his step that definitely hadn't been there before, he finally gave Gabriella her keys back and walked away from her, getting in the car and waiting until she was safe and sound inside the house.

**I know everything changes**

**I don't care where it takes us**

'**Cause I know how I feel about you**

He had spent the entire rest of the week and the weekend thinking about what to do. How could he give evidence of the fact that he was striving to better himself, to take care of her, to get her back? And the contemplating had paid off, for he had had the best idea since his decision to change for Gabriella. How could she accept him without him having accepted her surroundings and the other way round? Friends were an important part in Gabriella's life and he had stolen her away from them before. He couldn't imagine that they were all that impressed with him. Neither was Aaron, her best guy friend. Briefly, the old jealousy came back up, but he squashed it with a second thought. Both Gabriella and Aaron had told him in no uncertain terms that there was nothing between them and he would take their word for it. Because he _trusted_ them, which was an entirely new experience for him. So there was no reason to risk anything again by treating him badly, just because he held some sort of brotherly affection for Gabriella. After some thoughts he even was feeling grateful towards his team player, because the boy had been there for her when he himself had treated her like dirt. And there was no way Troy would ever be able to repay Aaron for that.

These thoughts were what had him searching for an opportunity to talk to Sharpay and Taylor as well as Aaron without Gabriella in their vicinity. And just as he was about to fall into despair, because they never seemed to split up, Gabriella finally left them to go to her tutoring session in the library. And suddenly Troy's palms felt sweaty. He was able to keep the entire school under his tight wrap and now he was nervous about talking to three of his fellow students of whom one was a mate of his and the two others were girls. Talk about the world suddenly deciding to spin the other way. Getting himself together again, he started towards them with a new-found determination to make them listen to him. They might not like what he had to say, but they would have to listen. Because he needed them to. "Hey, guys." Now there really was no turning back anymore. His greeting was met with absolute silence, two pairs of eyes starring at him as if he was some kind of alien. Aaron, however, was unfazed by him, due to the fact that he was used to be around him. "Hey, captain. What's up?" Clearly he was expecting some news about basketball training, since he had automatically used Troy's title in the team.

"I need to talk to you. All of you", he added, as Taylor and Sharpay said goodbye to Aaron and wanted to vanish around the next corner. Taylor nearly spit out the soda she had been about to swallow. "_You_? You need to talk to _us_? Did hell freeze over?" The question pained Troy. He knew that he had never been too friendly to those who hadn't belonged to his previous "friends", but he had never assumed that he'd been that bad. He sent a help-seeking look to Aaron who simply shrugged his shoulders. Troy knew that his team mate probably had a pretty good idea what this was about, now that it was clear this wasn't going to concern basketball. But that obviously didn't mean that he was going to help him out. Troy would have to find his own way out of the mess he'd got himself into. Taking a deep breath, he once again started with an apology. It seemed to become a constant in his life. "Look, I'm sorry." It didn't surprise him that it wasn't as easy saying sorry to them as saying it to Gabriella was. As he only got questioning looks back, however, he was quick to elaborate. "I'm sorry for everything I've done to hurt you. I would like to say that I didn't mean to, but I'm afraid that I can't." It sounded harsh, but it was the truth. His intentions had been bad from the very beginning and they had only gotten worse, after he had discovered that he was feeling more for Gabriella than he had ever done for any other girl his age. The fact that he was trying to make it up to her and them now didn't lessen the guilt he had brought down on himself.

Still none of the three standing in front of him made an effort to speak. They were assessing him silently, trying to figure out what this would lead to and despite his aversion to opening up to anyone, he felt as though he needed to explain himself to them. "From the very beginning, I took Brie away from you and then I hurt her. Probably more than I could ever imagine and I left you to pick up the pieces for me. That you've done that, the fact that you've been there for Gabriella shames me even more. Because it makes me see what a bastard I truly was." Sharpay muttered something under her breath that sounded dangerously like _You don't say_, but Troy chose to not comment on it, for she was right and had every claim on calling him out on it. He had hurt her best friend and their relationship with each other. And so he simply continued going against every fibber of his being by laying his self out in front if them to judge. "Gabriella was what I needed to come to my senses. I don't know how much she told you about what happened between us, but I know that she trusts you and that she'll have at least told you the outline. I was … no good for her." It hurt to say it and it left a bitter taste in his mouth. He still wasn't sure if he would ever be good enough for her. She was everything he was not and while some might say that it was more desirable to be popular than to be nice to everyone around you, Troy had learnt his lesson.

"But I've begged her for another chance." There was no visible change in the faces in front of him, so he supposed she had already told them that, too. The only question left was what they thought about it and if they would ever welcome him into their circle. "And she was magnanimous enough to grant me one. She asked me to show her that I mean it this time around and I intend to do that. But before there could ever be another chance for us, I need to know if you'd be supportive of us." And for the first time since he had approached them, Sharpay decided to address him directly. "Why?" The question was simple, but justified. "Because we're talking about Gabriella here. You're her friends and you're important to her. Should she ever decide to say yes when I ask her to be my girlfriend, she will consult you first. So I wouldn't have a chance in hell if you were dead-set against me. Because she would listen to you."

Troy's insides were burning with anxiety. Whatever they said now, it would be important. Briefly, he closed his eyes and when he opened them again, he was surprised to see Taylor smiling at him. "This is hard for you right now, isn't it?" Shocked, he starred at the raven-haired girl. Was he that easy to see through? Unwilling to reveal even more of himself that would make him vulnerable, but knowing that honesty was more important than ever right now, he nodded. And it was his honesty that broke through the resistance of the three to make this easier on him. Question after question rained down on him and Troy answered them as well as he could. And when they finally stopped interrogating him, he could see all of them smiling at him. "I think Gabriella was right to give you a second chance. But I swear to God, Troy: Should she ever come crying to me about something you've done to hurt her, and if it's ever so small, I'll hunt you down." And although Aaron didn't stop smiling while saying it, Troy knew that the other boy was dead-serious. And he respected him for standing up for Gabriella like that. "I don't plan on it, but I promise you that I won't even try to defend myself, should you beat me up because I hurt her again."

Aaron nodded satisfied and stretched out his hand. Gladly, Troy accepted it. So Aaron wasn't going to be a problem anymore. What about Taylor and Sharpay? He didn't even have time to look at them properly, because the second he turned away from Aaron, he found himself engulfed in a friendly hug by two girls. Old habits kicking back in again, he stiffened and nearly threw them off, before relaxing. These were Gabriella's best friends, not some girls who were out to get to him. So, instead of giving into his routine he had achieved over months, he surprised himself by hugging them back shortly. When they stepped back, a true smile adorned his handsome face. "Thank you." The sincerity shone through in his tone and the relief he felt was etched onto his face. And suddenly there was a warm sensation glowing in his stomach, slowly replacing the doubts and coldness his core had been filled with. So this was what it felt like to have someone his age that really cared about him and what he did, not about his popularity and his social status. Talking to Gabriella's friends didn't take as much effort as it took talking to the people he usually surrounded himself with, with the exception of Chad. Instead, he even found that he took a real interest in what they were saying, because he was trying to get to know them. 

He was astonished about the shifting of his feelings. Until now he hadn't seen more in Aaron than just another one on the basketball team. Of course he had always known that there had to be more to Aaron than just that, because Gabriella wouldn't have befriended him otherwise. He had never even thought about Taylor, so he was surprised to find that there was more to her than just the intelligence that labelled her as a nerd. Her personality was a friendly one; she was out-going and had a great humour. Sharpay, however, was the one that surprised him the most. Whenever she had hung around him and his clique, she had only ever given off an air-head attitude. Had he known that she behaved otherwise around her real friends, then maybe he wouldn't have despised her as much. But she really was caring and, while he never would have guessed, she was quite protective of her friends. Introducing Gabriella to him had been one of her less bright ideas, but other than that he found her to be rather refreshing. She spoke her mind when needed and wasn't afraid to step on his toes when he went too far. He didn't know where this would lead to, but he hoped that there was a future for them as friends and for Gabriella as his girlfriend.

**Can we bring yesterday back around?**

'**Cause I know how I feel about you now**

**I was dumb, I was wrong, I let you down**

**But I know how I feel about you now**

He was watching her again. He couldn't help himself, really. There was something so very relaxing about simply looking at her, watching her having fun, talking to some of her friends and generally being carefree. He'd spent the last few weeks slowly getting closer to her and her closest mates and found - much to his bewilderment – that while some still took offence at the fact that he was talking to people they considered to be beneath his dignity it didn't really have any impact on his social status. Students still were looking up to him, maybe even more so than before, because he no longer was the inapproachable boy he'd been for years. He still didn't like opening up to anyone who came his way and he certainly wasn't about to make a complete U-turn. He would always be careful around those he didn't know well, for years in high school had taught him to be wary. But now there were other people he cared about besides Chad and it made him feel better about himself. Even his parents had noticed the change in him, for his mother had taken him aside one morning and told him how proud she was of him and his father had given him an affirmative pat on the back.

And it was all thanks to Gabriella. The girl who got him to loosen up and enjoy life. The girl who made his hormones go overboard. The girl he could be himself around. Right now, she was heading out of the school library she had buried herself in an hour ago and headed for her locker, while Taylor, who she had had a study session with, already was on her way home. He knew that Gabriella had no idea that someone else beside her actually was still in the building, but he had made sure to stay behind after basketball practice to get a few minutes alone with her. They were still in the phase where they were trying to build up a friendship, with Gabriella working on trusting him again, and he was using every chance he got to show her he'd changed. He softly smiled, as he heard her start to whistle and silently sneaked up behind her, preparing to scare her by clasping his hands over her eyes. Just as he was a few steps behind her, she started to giggle, and for a short moment he was mesmerized by it. How could one noise sound so beautiful to him? He was ripped out of his thoughts as her voice cut through to him. "Are you in a hurry, John? I told you I'd wait outside for you to pick me up for our date." Troy wasn't even fazed in the slightest. No matter how hard she was trying to keep it out, he still caught the teasing undertone in her voice. He growled lowly, educing more giggles out of her. John McKinnon was a sore spot for Troy, ever since he had had to witness Gabriella being asked out by the current resident of the school decathlon team.

She had told John no, but still Troy had been restless until he'd been able to talk to Gabriella that very day who'd picked up on his unusual behaviour and charmed a confession out of him. Ever since then, she had been all too happy to make it a standing joke and he reacted every single time. In a hell-for-leather manner, he was behind her and picked her up, swirling her around and making her scream with laughter. Then he set her down again and turned her around to him, acting hurt and shocked. "You!" He wiggled his index finger at her in a playful attempt to scold her. "Just you wait!" The auspicious flash in his eyes made her squeal with delight. He stalked towards her like a predator chasing his prey and the dangerous sparkle was back in place. Grinning, he watched her whirl around and start running away from him, looking over her shoulder to see if he was following. Which he was, indeed. Chasing after her with a chuckle, her untrained condition turned out to be no adversary of real quality and he had her in no time, smirking mockingly at her before caging her in with her back to the lockers and his arms serving as the side restrictions. He was quite close to her now, close enough to smell her perfume, to feel her body heat and to reach out and play with her hair. Taking a shiny lock between his thumb and index finger, blue eyes bored themselves into brown ones, exchanging looks of pure chemistry.

She didn't stop her laughing and he was glad about that, because it was what he loved watching her do. The best part, though, was that it had been him to make her laugh, him to make her enjoy herself, him to make her feel comfortable. Leaning into her, so that his mouth was just above her left ear, he good-humouredly whispered: "So, you want to tell me about that guy you've got a _date_ with?" The emphasis heavily lay on 'date' and Gabriella winked at him. "Oh yeah, you know, actually I turned him down", she admitted and with satisfaction he noticed that her breathing had become slightly ragged. The attraction to him undeniably still was there. He grinned victoriously. "You want to tell me why?" He'd heard it the very first time she'd had to make excuses why she wouldn't go out with John, but he never got tired of hearing them again. "Ah, you see, I told him that there's this really cute guy trying to win me over, making up for some mistakes he's made along the way, you know? So I don't really have time for anyone else now, because I want to give him a chance." She was beaming at him and his insides practically melted. It definitely sounded as though he was headed to being forgiven at some point in this lifetime. Time to make another step in the right direction. "How did you get here?" The look of confusion on her face only lasted a second, until understanding dawned on her. "I walked." Troy nodded. He had counted on that. "Come on, I'll bring you home." Without another word, he slipped his arm around her waist and grinned happily when she didn't protest. Feeling her snuggling into him while walking, he lowered his head until he met her eyes that smiled up at him. Yes, he definitely wanted her to be his. And no matter how often he thought about his feelings for her, he always came to the same conclusion. He loved her.

**Not a day p****assed me by, not a day passed me by**

**When I don't think about you**

**And there's no moving on, 'cause I know you're the one**

**And I can't be without you**

Troy was nervous as hell. He couldn't even remember how often he had thought about if he really should be doing this, how often he had practiced asking her, how often he had contemplated his actions back and forth. Ever since the news about the school dance scheduled for the Friday in about a month had gone the circuit, it had caused havoc in both girls' and boys' minds alike. And while he had always managed to distance himself from that kind of thing before, he was more than ready to take this opportunity now. It hadn't been that hard to find out if Gabriella was interested in going at all, because Sharpay had made sure to mention it a few times in his presence, trying to make it sound nonchalant and failing miserably. And he had tried to get mad at her for trying to push him into doing something, but it had been no use. The feeling of thankfulness for saving him a lot of worries had exceeded his annoyance by far and so he had begun to rack his brains on how to ask her. He wasn't so sure she wanted to go with him, but her willingness to go in general was getting his chances up a few notches. He would understand quite perfectly if she didn't want to go to such an event with him yet, but he would ask her anyways. Because the thought of another boy asking and accompanying her to the dance was actually jealousy-inducing.

And so he had mulled it over and over in his head and finally got to the conclusion that – while Gabriella normally wasn't someone who relished in being the centre of attention – it was best to not just ask her straight out, but to have something to go by out. There was no doubt that he'd have preferred to ask her in a quiet environment with no one to watch, but something had got stuck in his mind and he hadn't been able to shake the thought. _What if she thought he was embarrassed by asking her to go with him? _He had kept whatever he and Gabriella had had under tight wraps the entire time and he knew that Gabriella supposed it was because he hadn't wanted anyone to know, because it would ruin his social status. So the best way to convince her that he was trying this time was to make this official. He would ask her and he would make sure that everyone knew that he was seriously interested in her. This was why he was waiting for her at her locker right now, anxiously checking his watch again and again, desperately wishing for the minutes to go by quicker and slow down at the same time. Having enlisted the help of her friends, Taylor and Sharpay, who had only been too glad to assist him, he had managed to design a giant banner that was now spanning from the locker farthest left of the row to Aaron's locker which was placed right beside Gabriella's.

Admittedly, he hadn't written the words himself, but really, his handwriting was terrible and Gabriella was supposed to be able to read it. Taylor's handwriting had proven to be neat and very readable, which was the reason why he had pleaded with her to do it for him. Unable to resist his boyish charm that he only ever showed to those he'd learned to truly get along with, she had eventually caved and saved his entire plan. Troy was torn out of his thoughts when – finally – the bell rang, announcing lunch break. Until now the corridors had been death silent and had lain forlorn, but that was going to change any second. Quickly, Troy ripped his gaze away from the banner and disappeared around the next corner. The plan was to let her read the banner first and then come out and ask her himself. And he didn't act a minute too soon, because the doors to the classrooms were already thrown open and students piled into the hallways, chatting happily among them about one subject or another. He could feel the atmosphere changing as soon as the first of them discovered the banner stretched over the lockers. He had anticipated the high-pitched screams to follow and still he had to cover his ears due to the sound intensity. Over the last few days he had learned that it was a really big deal if you got asked out to the dance in public and that, seemingly, screaming and squealing were the only appropriate way to react to an asking-out.

And then the voices died down. Three girls were boring their way through the masses of students that had stopped to look at the sensation and the crowd split into two halves, leaving them to get through easily. And then the one in the middle stopped dead in her tracks, starring agape at the big banner that read: _Will you go to prom with me, Gabriella?_ Little figures were tap-dancing on Troy's nerves as he waited for her to take in the news of being asked out. And when she finally did, he watched her whirl around to her friends and accusingly point at them. "You knew about this, didn't you? That's why you wanted to stop by my locker before having lunch!" Her voice cracked and she narrowed her eyes. "So, who's asking me, actually?" Looking around in obvious confusion, Troy saw her scanning the crowd, searching for anyone she knew, anyone who might ask her out. And he decided it was time to come out. The commotion he caused by simply turning the corner and starting towards her was enough to numb anyone's hearing abilities. The screams consisting of his name had Gabriella frantically seeking him, turning one way and the other, the disbelief clear in her eyes. The shock he could find in her eyes when he finally reached her was not exactly encouraging, but there was no going back now. And he asked her: "So, will you?"

**Can we bring yesterday back around?**

'**Cause I know how I feel about you now**

**I was dumb, I was wrong, I let you down**

**But I know how I feel about you now**

The silence around them was deafening. And while Troy had never understood the reason to be nervous when asking a girl to accompany you to some big event before, his nerves now could only be described as extremely jittery. What if she said no? What if she turned him down? In public? Afraid to take his eyes off of her in case he might miss something, he kept his gaze locked onto her face, searching for even the smallest reaction. Her expression was completely neutral and it made Troy want to seriously turn back time and do things all over again. She was going to reject him. Why else hadn't he received an answer yet? He was sure she was only trying to find a way to let him down gently and he was just about to beat a hasty retreat and go lick his wounds, as her eyes finally lit up. Troy swallowed hard. Did that mean…? He didn't even dare to hope, but his insides were turning over painfully. And with one single word leaving her mouth, he nearly fainted with relief.

"Yes." He felt like screaming, crying and laughing at the same time. Never before had one particular word sounded so fantastically to him. She had said yes! She was going to go with him. She was going to let him try to reverse everything he had done to her. She was giving him a second chance. The feeling of happiness swelling inside his chest spilled over and, in a moment of complete recklessness, he took a step forward and pulled her into his chest. His ears were deaf to the noise the student body was making, either in shock, disgust or cheerfulness. All that cut through to him was the warm body pressed against his body, the softness of Gabriella's hair under his hands and her wonderful smell filling the air he was breathing. The fire coursed through his veins once again, every fibber of his being was coming alive and celebrating her closeness. And when he felt her stiffen in surprise, he carefully brought his mouth to her hear and whispered: "Thank you. For everything."

**Can we bring yesterday back around?**

**Cause I know how I feel about you now**

**I was dumb, I was wrong, I let you down**

**But I know how I feel about you now**

**But I know how I feel about you now**

**Yeah, I know how I feel about you now**

It was all over the school. Troy Bolton was officially courting Gabriella Montez. And there had never been anything that had felt as good as hearing it being whispered from every corner, in every classroom and all over the school. He didn't care about the mistrusting looks he received from girls and boys alike and he sure didn't pay attention to the fact that nobody knew how to treat him anymore. It was their problem to decide if they wanted his feelings to cost him the position of East High's golden boy or not. The only thing that was important right now was Gabriella.

She needed time. Time to get used to the fact that he was going to be there for her as far as he could. To get used to the thought that he did indeed love her. And he was going to give her the time. He knew how he felt about her and if she needed space to ponder over her own feelings, then he would give it to her. But this time he wouldn't let her down again. He would be there, every step of the way, showing her that he cared and intended to stay this time. It would probably take weeks, maybe months until she was ready to let him in again, but it wasn't significant. All that counted was that she was going to make the choice. And he dared to hope that she would decide in favour of him.

**Thanks so much to everyone who's still reading this story****, even though I have kept you waiting for so long. I don't have much time to write anything here, because Kristyna is trying to get me to finally post it, because she's kinda impatient. That's not supposed to sound bad, Kessy, it's so you know you're appreciated and taken into account :] **

**Anyways, I'll try and get the last chapter up as soon as possible and please, please leave a review to tell me what you're thinking and if this chapter was at least a bit of the waiting time… **

**I love you guys so much, **

**xoxo**

**Lena**


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